Henning Larsen designs urban transformation project in Belgium

by sadia_badhon | February 19, 2020 2:00 pm

Henning Larsen’s design for the city block at Place de Brouckère in Brussels, Belgium, draws on traditional and contemporary heritage to create a mixed-use destination for the city in the 21st century. Rendering courtesy Henning Larsen — Henning Larsen’s design for the city block at Place de Brouckère in Brussels, Belgium, draws on traditional and contemporary heritage to create a mixed-use destination for the city in the 21^st century.
*Rendering courtesy Henning Larsen*

Henning Larsen[2] has unveiled its vision for Brouck’R, an urban transformation project facing Brussels’ Place De Brouckère, bringing 48,000 m² (516,668 sf) of commercial, residential, hotel, and green space to the Belgian capital.

Developed in collaboration with Brussels-based studio A2RC[3], Brouck’R will unify city living and working in a single, central city block that opens onto the grand Place de Brouckère. The design for the block balances the architectural heritage of Brussels’s grand Belle Epoque structures with a contemporary approach to style and scale.

Brouck’R expands on local efforts to pedestrianize and re-center civic life in Brussels’ urban core, wrapping an entire block with apartments and student accommodations. The design comprises 311 new residences, divided between apartment and student-geared accommodations. The courtyard at the building’s center will be a green oasis, with gardens at the ground level and trellises/green walls that climb upward along the south and west internal façades. Commercial and retail program, which makes up nearly a quarter of the development, will anchor the buildings at ground level.

Brouck’R’s four façades face different urban conditions—the iconic row of 19^th-century façades lining the Place de Brouckère will remain, fronting new construction behind. The remaining three façades will appear continuous, broken down into modules changing every 18 to 20 m (59 to 66 ft), an approach that links the design to walking pace, rather than at the speed of traffic.

A variety of brick construction types are used to reduce the scale of the massing. Looking up, the building’s upper floors will be clad in slim, light-colored material that visually marks not just a difference in program types, but also in living styles. Brick-clad apartments comprise the bulk of the residential program and visually link the surrounding context.

Construction on Brouck’R is expected to commence in mid-2021 and reach completion in 2024.

Endnotes:

[Image]: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Opener-17.jpg
Henning Larsen: https://henninglarsen.com/
A2RC: https://www.a2rc.be/

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/henning-larsen-designs-urban-transformation-project-in-belgium/