Dupont, Reconversion CSSI
(centre social santé intégré), Schaerbeek

A house as a small city
The program for the building involves a duality that is challenging to achieve: on the one hand, the building must be open, welcoming and accessible; on the other hand, it must also provide a sense of safety, discretion, and intimacy. On the street side, we propose a spacious, freely accessible welcome area that functions as a green oasis in a busy neighbourhood. This public part of the building is inviting and comfortable. It encourages a short pause and is open to everyone, regardless of whether they are using other services in the building.

From the welcome area, a short staircase or elevator provides access to the health center’s reception. The central position of the reception desk gives staff a clear view of the entire ground floor. Visitors are immediately led to the waiting area, which offers a beautiful view of the garden, and from where they can take the stairs or elevator to the first or second floor, where the consultation rooms for general medicine, physiotherapy and psychology are located. Meeting rooms and other staff areas are nearby but can be separated from the publicly accessible zones.

The flexible community hall is located at garden level, so the garden becomes a publicly accessible oasis. It can be reached from the public reception area via a central staircase and elevator. Most of the garden will be unpaved, with a few large trees providing shade and a green view from the upper floors. The building’s rear façade offers various nooks and terraces from which the garden views can be enjoyed.

Phase: tender
Client: Municipality of Schaerbeek
Team: Lambda-max (structural engineer), STir (building services engineer)
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