Located in the heart of Brussels, Fontainas promotes transformations in environmental regeneration and pedestrianization of the city center as a multiscale complex project. It redefines the void left by the demolition of the Philips Factory, reassuring guidelines of biodiversity, sustainable development, responsible water management and soft mobility. The project assembles solutions of openness and inclusivity in habitation, green spaces and the support for activities and public meetings.
Local
Belgium
Brussels, 1000
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-08-05
As an individual
First name: Li Mei Last name: Tsien Gender: Female Nationality: Belgium Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Chaussée de Waterloo 1253 Town: Bruxelles Postal code: 1180 Country: Belgium Direct Tel:+32 2 732 96 93 E-mail:limei.tsien@b612associates.com Website:http://architectes.b612associates.com/
Located in the heart of Brussels, the Fontainas redevelopment project is a contemporary, sustainable and inclusive multi-scale project that promotes the transformation of the city centre in terms of environmental regeneration and pedestrianisation. Resulting from the demolition of the Phillips factories and located in the immediate vicinity of the most frequented areas of the city centre with a high heritage value on the one hand, and the most socially deprived neighbourhoods on the other, the Fontainas Block intervention site was intended to answer the urban planning question of how to enhance the potential green lung offered by the park and reconstruct disused urban fragments, while creating an ambitious and inclusive built complex. The expected urban response was the reconstruction of the closed classical block of the historic city, to cover the open wounds caused by the economic and social disparities of the place. The proposed urban solution, however, worked against the closure of the site, choosing not to enclave but to articulate an open morphology, redefining the urban void. Urban continuity is not generated by the built environment, but by the open spaces created. The singular atypical volumes, the perspectives and the fluid paths create a porous island that assumes the role of a community park, promoting biodiversity, soft mobility and responsible water management, reconciling man, plant and building; a public space where the spatial mixes present on the site meet and create a place of life; a crossroads that intensifies intra- and inter-quarter connections, stimulating life and social exchanges; and finally, a landscape and urban landmark.
inclusive
sustainable
innovative
contemporary
holistic
From the very first sketches of its designers, Fontainas has been committed to being a passive project, respecting all the principles of energy efficiency and eco-construction, the defence of biodiversity, ecosystems and responsible water management and, finally, social sustainability. In the first case, the objectives have been achieved by proposing architecturally compact, well-insulated, well-sited and oriented buildings with well-designed openings. The project favours prefabrication and recycled and recyclable materials at the construction level, with a low environmental footprint and minimal maintenance. From a technical point of view, the buildings will be ventilated by a high-efficiency dual-flow system with heat recovery, allowing free cooling in summer. Heating will be provided by cogeneration and semi-centralised condensing boilers. In terms of biodiversity and ecosystems, the proposed layout of the park preserves as many existing trees as possible. It enhances them with plantations of different species to create different vegetation atmospheres to accompany the various activities of the park. In addition, the careful design of the topography has contributed to the implementation of state-of-the-art water management. A series of valleys and shallow basins allows the natural infiltration and retention of rainwater, integrated into the landscape for a "near-zero run-off" project. This surface management of rainwater not only promotes infiltration, but also biodiversity at no extra cost, as the budget for mandatory rainwater basins has been converted into a landscaping budget. Finally, the involvement of different age and social groups in the design of the project has made it possible to define a programme that meets local needs and is closely linked to the city's future aspirations. In this sense, Fontainas aims to be an example of a sustainable project from the outset.
Regarding aesthetics and quality of experience, Fontainas sought to create a contemporary project with an original and coherent architectural and urban identity, reconciling people, plants and buildings in a rich and complex urban landscape. This objective was achieved through a qualitative approach to design. New emblematic atypical volumes, carefully distributed to dress the blind adjacent buildings of the site and rebalance the volumes of the city, articulate a porous morphology that maximises the extension of green space, is free of gates and creates accessible public green spaces in contrast to the classic closed urban block. The prismatic buildings form poles of intensity that radiate out towards the park and the district, between which the expanse of green flows fluidly, like the ocean or the dunes between isolated rocks. They serve as urban landmarks in the open space and guarantee social animation. Their sloping walls frame and widen perspectives, direct and attract the flow of new public pathways to connect the surrounding neighbourhoods, promote soft mobility and enhance the urban and landscape context as well as the social mix. In addition, the details of their materials and colours, slates laid out in a rhythm that gradually tightens towards the sky, perforated sheets that play with shadows and light, luminous tones that blend into the park, were carefully chosen to ensure the overall attractiveness and dynamism of the connections, and create a memorable character of place. From this point of view, the Fontainas project is a paradigmatic example of an alternative urban approach and a dynamic architectural language that reflects the changes in society towards greater flexibility and urban diversity.
From the outset, the Fontainas project aimed to create a new meeting place for the city, an urban centre that would stimulate the life of the neighbourhood, a place of living and activity that would bridge the wealthier and more fashionable part of the city centre with the socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods. These objectives were achieved by proposing a new form of morphological and functional mix. The inversion of the city block by dressing the blind adjacent buildings of the site, the extension of the existing green areas and the creation of new pedestrian connections with the city facilitate the creation of a large park, an urban pole that promotes soft mobility and PMR accessibility in the economically disadvantaged centre of Brussels. On the other hand, the proposed landmark buildings offer a mix of public functions and housing (multi-purpose hall, horeca, gym, crèche, student and social housing) that meets people's needs in terms of sport, leisure, comfort and security, generates urban cohabitation, creates new jobs, revitalises the district and, finally, facilitates social and economic development. As a result, the park's organisation and its buildings create a synergy, a place that intensifies links within and between neighbourhoods, stimulates social and cultural exchanges and, overall, contributes significantly to the revitalisation and redevelopment of the area. In this sense, Fontainas is an exemplary project for proposing an urban approach that reflects the changes in society towards greater flexibility and social and cultural diversity.
In order to acknowledge long-standing problems, establish a program responding to local expectations and the needs of the future city and finally, strengthen the links between the project, the context and its inhabitants, a series of information sessions, surveys and workshops were organized and offered to residents affected by Fontainas. Meetings in the park and evening workshops, specific sessions organized with two primary school classes, conducting a survey through a widely distributed flyer and creating two petitions supporting and rejecting the project were among the tools used to ensure the citizens’ participation. This process was carried out over several years, taking place at various critical phases of the project, from the elaboration of the masterplan until the inauguration of the park and the complex. This methodology made it possible to answer the numerous questions, listen to the opinions and comments that the project aroused, expose its progress before and after the exchanges and finally, showcase the project in evolution. The analysis of the received information, combined with the analysis of the site, its broad context and the programming, determined the evolution and the evaluation of variant studies and options to eventually arrive at a satisfying outcome genuinely beneficial for the local community.
The Fontainas block redevelopment project, due to its scale, its neighbourhood and its programme, involved many actors with whom the designers had many exchanges during the development of the master plan and the preliminary design. These actors included the Town Planning and Housing Department, various services of the City of Brussels and, finally, neighbouring institutions. As far as exchanges with the former are concerned, the main aim was to ensure, on the one hand, the urban integration of the volume of the residential building next to that of the CGSP (ACOD) trade union and, on the other hand, the safety, visibility and attractiveness of the entrance to the new sports hall. Discussions with the City Council's Green Spaces Department focused on the capacity of the proposed underground car park to serve both the site and the neighbouring facilities, freeing up as much green space as possible, and on the design of the boundaries of the neighbouring courtyards to achieve a coherent and qualitative landscape identity. In the preliminary design phase, meetings were held with the Green Spaces Service to discuss the species to be planted in the park and the measures to be taken in terms of water infiltration to promote biodiversity, ecosystems and responsible water management. Finally, several exchanges were held with the project's direct neighbours to identify their way of working and managing the environment. This led to the redefinition of the boundaries of the nursery's garden so that it could serve both the park and the school, while maintaining its original surface. Finally, a synergy was established between the CGSP and the Fontainas, the former providing technical and storage facilities for the project site and the sports hall, and the latter integrating access to the CGSP's underground car park into its premises.
The architects of the Fontainas Block redevelopment project led a multidisciplinary team to ensure the realisation of a high quality and sustainable design incorporating the latest technologies. The compact, rock-like buildings, which embellish the blind adjacent volumes of the site and rebalance the cityscape, posed a volumetric and structural challenge that was carefully studied by the architects/urban planners in collaboration with the structural engineers. Both interaction and design were made possible by the technical innovations of BIM. To encourage the redevelopment of the flora and fauna on what was initially a very poor site, the designers worked closely with an ecologist specialising in the natural environment of the region. The result was a careful selection of the proposed species for the various plantations, with the aim of creating different vegetation atmospheres, each forming an ecological system that accompanies the various activities of the park. Finally, the realisation of a reliable waterproofing system for the underground gymnasium, with its complex volumetric and dimensional constraints, was a design and construction challenge that was solved by the application of innovative technologies, which were decided after several exchanges with the collaborating Office of Special Techniques. The studies also involved acoustic experts and specialists in soils pollution control.
The inversion of the city block, designed by the design team and achieved through the demolition of several derelict buildings, the creation of new pedestrian links within the city and the extension of the available green space, has made the Fontainas park, with its 10,000 m² of green space, the only large park in the economically deprived centre of Brussels. In addition, the mix of spaces on the site, which was created after careful consideration of the expectations of the inhabitants and includes a basketball court, various play areas for all ages, a multi-purpose field for mini-football and a vegetable garden, social and student housing, crèches, a sports hall, a multi-purpose room and, finally, a restaurant, make it possible to meet the functional needs of the district and stimulate neighbourhood life. They also create a new meeting place for the city, a centre that generates urban cohabitation both internally and externally, and helps to attract economic development to an area where social inequalities and spatial segregation were previously concentrated. Lastly, the use of a bold architectural language to express the building programme, which highlights the shared public space, completes the range of factors that make Fontainas an urban landmark for the centre of Brussels.
One of the main innovations proposed in the Fontainas project is its new urban morphology. The urban problem to be solved was to enhance the green potential of the site, reconstruct and provide adequate programmes and services to "sew up" the disused urban fragments and heal the wounds of the economic and social disparities of the place. The expected urban response was the reconstruction of the classic closed urban block of the historic city. However, this typology would have resulted in less accessible public green spaces, even if passages were created through the facades of the buildings. As a result, the design team decided to reverse the logic of the city block, articulating a porous morphology made up of buildings with minimal footprints, allowing for maximum extension of green spaces. The use of single, discontinuous buildings, carefully sited, dresses the blind party walls of the site and rebalances the volumes of the city around the new park. This punctuating of the space by the buildings puts the emphasis on the shared space. Urban continuity is no longer provided by the facades, but by the park. In addition, in order to provide reliable waterproofing for the sports hall, which was moved underground to make more space for the park, the design team, in close collaboration with the special techniques office, opted for the use of innovative technologies in the form of drained flexible cladding. Fontainas also proposes innovative water management, achieved through the careful redesign of the park's topography and the creation of a series of valleys and shallow basins that allow the natural infiltration and temporary storage of rainwater in an integrated landscape for a "near-zero rainwater run-off" project. Those humid zones are planted with local hydrophilic species to protect biodiversity. Finally, all accommodation will meet state-of-the-art passive energy standards.
Fontainas is an exemplary project in terms of an integrated and holistic approach to design. This means that the design team tries to satisfy as many desiderata as possible with a single gesture. For example, the decision to move the new gymnasium underground not only maximises the green space, but also contributes to the creation of a playful topography. The latter is complemented by a series of valleys and shallow basins that not only influence the experience of the park, but also allow for the natural infiltration and temporisation of rainwater in an integrated way with the landscape for a "near-zero rainwater discharge" project. This surface management of rainwater not only promotes infiltration, but also biodiversity, at no extra cost, as the budget for the mandatory rainwater tanks has been converted into a landscaping budget. In addition, the prismatic volumetric concept for the building programme not only enhances the aesthetic impression of the project with the perspectives and fluidity it creates, but also establishes a creative way of minimising the footprint of the buildings, allowing for the creation of a vast public park. In this way, the adoption of such a methodology can promote a truly economic project with an integrated design identity.
From the outset, the Fontainas Block redevelopment project aimed to become an exemplary case study of how to regenerate run-down urban areas in a move towards more resilient, inclusive, environmentally friendly and sustainable shared spaces in city centres. To this end, the architects set a number of key objectives at the outset of the project. These included opening up the site to connect the surrounding neighbourhoods and creating a new urban centre based on landscape and urban planning, promoting soft mobility, biodiversity, ecosystems and responsible water management, social security and, finally, local development expressed through a contemporary and bold architectural language. In order to ensure that these objectives are met at the end of the project, its development has been the subject of constant reflection and evaluation throughout its various stages, from masterplan to construction. In addition, the involvement of the citizens affected by the project through a continuous participatory process, as well as the many exchanges with collaborators and stakeholders, constituted an additional tool for checking whether the project was progressing in line with the aspects it had initially committed itself to defending. As a result, both the aforementioned design objectives and the method of verifying their integration to the last detail can potentially be replicated in other city centres.
Cities nowadays hold a primordial place in our lives, economies and social relations. This gives them a leading role as places of innovation and connectivity, especially in areas where social disparities and spatial segregation are concentrated. Urban design must fight against spatial exclusion by creating accessible, inclusive and sustainable meeting places and public spaces. It is essential to promote exchanges, cultural, generational and ethnic diversity by the construction of mixed programs offering shared greenery and rich public services, quality housing and sustainable, eco-friendly buildings and environment. To do this, design needs to take into account the numerous components of the urban system, social, economic, cultural, political as well as natural ecosystem and energy issues, in order to implement a holistic approach to the urban environmental questions. This project is a manifestation and a proposition for a different, innovative, urban typology of mixed program around a shared public space, realized in the centre of Brussels.
