Maison de l'Autisme, Ixelles

Competition proposal for the House of Autism in Ixelles, Brussels.
The old stables of the former Rijkswachtkazerne are being repurposed to house the Maison de l'Autisme, a public house for, by and about people on the spectrum. The House of Autism is part of a bigger redevelopment scheme of the former Rijkswachtkazerne site. The old barracks will be repurposed to house university buildings, offices, social housing, student housing and a food hall. The ensemble of the old stables lies around an existing inner courtyard in the northwestern corner of the site. The House of Autism will have a reception, a (media)library, therapy rooms, activity rooms, classrooms, offices and a cafetaria.

We propose a new entrance to the north of the ensemble, through a quiet and sensory-friendly entrance garden. From here, the visitor is led to the reception and the central courtyard. The courtyard is surrounded by a covered walkway from where the classrooms, activity rooms, café and exhibition hall can be reached easily. In this proposal, the central courtyard becomes a green and quiet oasis. The therapy rooms, library and offices are located on the upper floors of the main pavillon. The original entrance from the gendarmerie site is made smaller through the addition of an extension, which closes the courtyard whilst keeping a sense of openness. This becomes the second entrance. The new addition marks the presence of the House of Autism on the redevelopment site, whilst keeping its quiet and sensory-friendly character. Our proposal makes the most of the existing historical elements, whilst adapting them to be suitable to their new function. We worked together with the KULeuven researchXdesign team, who are experts on designing for people on the spectrum. The proposal is ambitious in terms of durability and environmental aspects, putting forward the use of materials such as wood and hempcrete.

Phase: competition 2025
Client: sau-msi
Team: Carton123 in collaboration with m u r m u u r, atelier voor groene ruimte (landschap), AIKO (technieken), D2S (akoestiek), 2Bsafe (veiligheidscoördinatie), Stabico (EPB)
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