The municipality of Anderlecht wanted to create a multi-purpose facility in Rauter park, which was previously a factory site. A bit just like before, where once stood the villa of the factory director in the middle of its garden, today stands a villa open to the neighborhood in the heart of a public park.

The building, which is octagonal in shape thanks to the slightly creased façades, has a café on the ground floor, discreetly topped by a mezzanine housing the changing rooms. The large multi-purpose hall on the top floor overlooks the park, offering users an unobstructed view and acting as a light beacon in the park.

Scattered around the Biestebroeck district, it takes a good eye to see that these various small interventions in public space are effectively part of one and the same project. It is indeed truly a project of urban acupuncture. Yet, there is a certain homogeneity in the treatment of all the different interventions, particularly in the choice of materials and street furniture. By drawing on what already exists, by improving a stretch of road here, a square, a park or some aspect of an internal courtyard there, the project is giving a tangible new vibe to this part of Anderlecht.

Particular attention has been paid to the different users, such as the children in the school playground, who are encouraged to play differently by the originality of the basketball court, the regulars on Place de la Résistance, the elderly and also parents picking up their children outside the school. In fact, only visible par its absence today, is the demolition of a building that once stood on rue Philippe Thys, which has now freed up a direct access to the canal.

The new brewing plant for Brussels Beer Project (BBP), a young and thriving local company, not only accomodates the complete production process of 35000 hl of beer per year, but is also open for the public to witness and sample its products.

The building is designed as a compact and efficient industrial container, an open rectangular box with an inclined roof which reveals its contents. The roof expresses the company’s graphic identity, as it is coated in stripes in the characteristic colours of the BBP beer labels. The ground floor is set aside entirely for the production process. All the offices and technical rooms are grouped on the upper floor, above which is the public taproom.

In summer, the adjoining area serves as a ‘beer garden’, welcoming the general public and small events at the open-air bar, further contributing to the idea behind the project, which is to integrate the industrial production process with a public space.

On this difficult plot, of which there are many in Brussels’ built fabric, the challenge was to insert a four-storey apartment building. The new building has a frontage onto the rue du Biestebroeck, which the architects have named ‘avant-scène’ (front-of-stage). It is also linked to the other side, which is perceived and built as a ‘backstage’ made up of garages and makeshift extensions.

Because of its position at the end of the block, the building is treated like the bow of a ship, rounding off the urban construction. The architects have chosen to emphasise the building’s relationship with its context by taking up only part of the plot, as neighbouring plots do, playing with a foreground and background.

Despite its modest size, the choice of materials and colours give the building the appearance of a lighthouse, treating residents to an unobstructed view of the canal.

The Flow temporary swimming pool illustrates the need for more leisure and water sports facilities in Brussels. It is the result of a campaign by a citizen association POOL IS COOL, which has succeeded in putting this need on the political agenda. In the face of climate change and summer heatwaves, they are calling for the reintroduction of public bathing, offering everyone the chance to enjoy a refreshing break. There are currently no public open-air baths in Brussels.

The Flow project explores the mixed use of the canal in order to reconcile production activities with recreational and sporting activities. Given that the project is temporary, it has been entirely designed and built to be dismantled.

In winter, under the name POOL IS COLD, the bravest can even dive into its icy waters.

The private property developer had plans for a mixed-use neighbourhood comprising housing, a nursing home, a school and production activities. Initially, the former industrial site was to be divided into nine building plots. The research by design carried out by the BMA raised questions about the initial density and convinced the developer to free up the central plot to create a park.

This proved to be a smart move, as the developer is now using the park as a selling point for its homes! The logistical demands of ground floor production activities can sometimes result in rather bleak façades. Here, two plots have been combined to create a single, large production area, with an interior space for deliveries. Other projects along the canal are the outcome of architecture competitions and superimpose a car park on the production area to create a buffer space with the homes above. It shows how the two at first sight conflicting programs can be reconciled by an appropriate design solution.

The future of the car is uncertain, that’s what even this client realises, the oldest car importer in Belgium. The client was therefore keen to create a mixed and adaptable building, with mobility as the central theme, surrounded by other production activities.

A wavy and kinked façade line constantly mediates between the amorphous boundary of the plot and the desired urban front, between ramps inside the building and turning circles for trucks outside, between creating visibility for inside activities from the street and shielding others from view.

In contrast to the undulating exterior, the interior is resolutely rational and orthogonal. The basic idea is a structure in which anything is possible, hence a column grid of 16.2 by 16.2 meters and floor heights of 7 metres. It offers the flexibility needed for intermediate floors to be laid or suspended in between.

Ultimately, the project is more of a clad structure than a building.

This former industrial site facing the canal is being transformed by a private developer to accommodate a mix of functions: a school campus, housing and production activities. The various programmes have been designed by different architects but according to one coherent scheme. The master plan also envisages a public passage and clears space for deep soil.

Another bold move is the decision to house production workshops both under the side with the schools and under the residential buildings. The stacking is typical of the canal area but here takes on a neighbourhood scale. Both worlds are functionally separated but visually connected thanks to open views.

This exemplifies the new urban development sought for a growing city such as Brussels, one that does not chase production activities away from the city itself.

Two large adjoining plots were awaiting a new use. The original plan was to demolish all the existing buildings and build a cinema in a blind big box and a large car park. The research by design carried out by the BMA highlighted the potential for the site as a whole, and subsequently was taken over by two of Brussels’ public housing companies, working together to develop an ambitious and integrated project.

Building on a heritage study, which highlighted the importance of preserving the existing buildings, followed by an architecture competition, a new city district is going to be developed, with a mix of functions, typologies and users.

Until work gets off the ground, the site is temporarily occupied by artists, a climbing gym and a bar.

The Tour des Goujons is the first building of what was envisioned at the end of the 1960s as a fully-fledged waterfront development, of course without wishing to integrate into the existing context. Nevertheless and even though it is hardly visible, there is some link between the building and its environment. In fact, its slight curve follows the bend of the River Senne.

The rapid deterioration of the balconies led to an urgent need for renovation a few years ago. The architects in charge of the renovation jumped on this opportunity to give the building a facelift, while playing with its aesthetic and period-specific character. The railings on the new balconies weave through the vertical structure, becoming thicker as you move up the floors.

Attitudes to waste among Brussels’ inhabitants have evolved and, with this change, their perception of recycling centres is becoming more positive. One person’s waste is another person’s resource, and recycling centres are an essential link within the circular economy.

To facilitate the integration of a Recypark in this urban environment, the architects came up with the idea of adding a skate park and green spaces to mitigate the nuisances generated by the Recypark. This diverse programme ensures that the project is open to all and becomes a vibrant space, frequently used by skaters and local residents.

In Liège, the architects came across a former horse pen featuring a structure made of archways of glued laminated timber. These were disassembled and brought to Brussels to be used as a part of the structure of the new Recypark canopy. Building a recycling centre from recycled materials… what better symbol for the project!