Be.Exemplary: 16 laureates in a record year
‘If you are looking for exemplary or interesting buildings, then you have come to the right place with the laureates of be.exemplary!’ This year, we wanted to encourage the participation of the private sector and we succeeded! We received 25 % more applications, and more than half of the proposed projects comes from the private sector. ‘be.exemplary is attractive and much in demand because of the recognition of its role as a showcase for new buildings,’ says Pascal Smet (one.brussels), the Secretary of State responsible for Urbanism.
Be.exemplary aims to support projects that meet four challenges:
- Promoting high-quality architecture and urbanism.
- Encouraging projects with a social approach.
- Addressing environmental challenges.
- Integrating circular economy in the project.
In 2019, a major budgetary effort has been made. The grants were increased and a new category (major private projects) was created.
As a reminder, the three categories are divided as follows:
- Small private projects (max. three dwellings or other destinations of less than 300 m² or a mixed project combining these two criteria): € 250 per m² with a minimum of € 32,500 per project, of which € 25,000 for the project owner and € 7500 for the designer.
- Major private projects (private projects not fitting in the category ‘small projects’): € 150 per m² with a minimum of € 32,500 per project and a maximum of € 475,000, divided into € 400,000 for the project owner and € 75,000 for the designer.
- Public projects (regardless of size): € 150 m² without a minimum and with a maximum of € 325,000, divided into € 250,000 for the project owner and € 75,000 for the designer.
A record year
There were 16 laureates, compared to 9 last year. It is therefore a record year, both in number of applications and in number of laureates! The laureates demonstrate a particular diversity in the type of projects, their size, their destination and their response to the challenges they face. These results show to what degree be.exemplary is a project call for everyone.
Nomination of laureates
be.exemplary aims to put exemplary and innovative buildings in the spotlight. In the evaluation of the laureates, the jury took into account the attention they paid to the different challenges and the coherence of the project in relation to those challenges. It is important to explore and to innovate, even if there are domains where maximal performance cannot be achieved.
The jury of experts, composed of a representative of urban.brussels, a representative of Brussels Environment and four external experts, selected the winning projects. The selected projects praise simplicity, architectural quality and human intelligence. By opting for a transversal approach, they aim to achieve an exemplary function/innovation through four challenges.
‘The projects are multiple and offer variety. For example, with VAS 13, young people have sought (and found) an innovative way in order to continue living in Brussels. La Maison Jupiter, another laureate, proves that with some imagination it is still possible to build houses full of character in our region. The same goes for the ZIN-project, that will change and improve the neighbourhood of the Northern Quarter in a sustainable way. The region will support all these projects,’ declares Pascal Smet (one.brussels), the Secretary of State responsible for Urbanism.
Category small projects (5 laureates)
Project 506: Demolition of a small workers’ house (infill) and construction of a single-family house with three rooms.
Project owner: Alizée Dassonville* and Maxime Steisel
Designer: Alizée Dassonville*
Address: Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 506 – 1180 Uccle
Built-up area: 176 m2
Maison Jupiter: Construction, at the back of a garden, of a middle-class house, single-family home with three rooms, with the aim to create a world of its own.
Project owner: Thierry Decuypere* and Amélie Daems
Designer: V+ sprl (represented by Thiery Decuypere)
Address: Avenue Jupiter, 172 – 1190 Forest
Built-up area: 314 m2
Tiny Little Paradise: Partial demolition, enlargement and renovation of a very small single-person home - House for two to three people in a very special location (creation of a small paradise by and for the residents).
Project owner: Pieter Logghe
Designer: Responsible Young Architects
Address: Rue Mode Vliebergh 14 – 1020 Laeken
Built-up area: 64 m2
Rasson V2: Demolition of a house at the back of a plot and construction of a house for co-tenancy at affordable rents
Project owner: Ada Edge sprl
Designer: Pascal Monniez
Address: Rue Rasson, 27 – 1030 Schaerbeek
Built-up area: 285 m2
Maison Sans Souci: Transformation of a typical Brussels dwelling into a co-housing of two individual dwellings with a common space.
Project owner: Matthias Salaets* and Sanne Berghmans
Designer: Fallow*
Address: Rue Sans Soucis 141 – 1050 Ixelles
Built-up area: 223.27 m2
Category major private projects (6 laureates)
VAS 13: Transformation of a former primary school into seven residential units, one office and common spaces by a group of friends looking for a viable way to continue living in Brussels (with the benefits of living outside the city)
Project owner: Jens Theys and Ann-Sophie Maeyaert (representing the applicants, consisting of seven parties)
Designer: KEPER Architecten
Address: Rue des Vétérinaires 11-15-17 – 1070 Anderlecht
Built-up area: 1876 m2
Ninove 122: Renovation and new destination of the former postal office: creation of six intergenerational dwellings with rental and social purposes - integration of common spaces and a communal garden.
Project owner: Livingstones scrl represented by Gert Van Snick
Designer: Cristian Crisan
Address: Chaussée de Ninove, 122 – 1080 Molenbeek
Built-up area: 565 m2
ZIN: Renovation and transformation of the WTC towers 1 and 2 in the Northern Quarter. The ZIN project, which combines several functions, will be developed on approximately 110,000 m², with
70,000 m² of offices, 5000 m² of co-working, 127 apartments, 240 hotel rooms and also spaces for sports, leisure, restaurants and commerce.
Project owner: Befimmo sa, represented by Martine Rorif
Designer: SM FUTURE WTC: Jaspers Eyers + 51N4E + l’AUC
Address: Boulevard du Roi Albert II, 28-30 – 1000 Bruxelles
Built-up area: 110 000 m2
Maison Jolly: Construction of a building with ten conventional, diversified dwellings and a multifunctional space in a residential block.
Project owner: Habitat et Humanisme Development Belgium
Designer: EPOC Architecture
Address: Rue Jolly, 170-172 – 1030 Schaerbeek
Built-up area: 964 m2
NKVV: Renovation and adaptation of a manor built in 1909, for the professional organisation for nurses and nursing and hospital assistants. The ambition is to make optimal use of the spaces with minimal interventions and to adapt them to the requirements of comfort in order to use the building in a multifunctional way. The preservation and re-use of the materials on site, respecting the heritage, are an objective on their own.
Project owner: NVKVV vzw, represented by Ellen De Wandeler
Designer: Nathalie De Leeuw
Address: Square Vergote 43 – 1030 Schaerbeek
Built-up area: 835 m2
AG Campus: Renovation of a ground floor into a modern learning and meeting centre in an office building in order to facilitate the ambition of AG to create a culture where learning is omnipresent in the organisation.
Project owner: AG Real Estate sa, represented by Philippe Monserez
Designer: EVR – Architecten cvba
Address: Rue du Pont Neuf 17 – 1000 Bruxelles
Built-up area: 4 715 m2
Category public projects (5 laureates)
Secondary school Plurielle: Conversion of an existing industrial site into a secondary school with active pedagogy that will eventually be able to offer about 750 places. The architectural part consists of creating spaces suitable for learning and for the personal development of everyone, by connecting the site to the neighbourhood, which will also be able to benefit from this new public facility.
Project owner: Pouvoir Organisateur Pluriel (POP) asbl represented by Françoise Magerman
Designer: &sens architectes
Address: Avenue Jean Dubrucq, 17 – 1080 Molenbeek-St-Jean
Built-up area: 6232 m²
Usquare EFRO: Renovation and reconstruction (in accordance with circular economy) of several buildings on the site of the Brussels barracks (19 apartments, university facilities and public facilities).
Project carried by the ULB, the VUB and the Region, with a view on research areas, information dissemination and sharing, international exchange, entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. This specific project was a laureate of the ERDF 2014-2020 thanks to supporting the development of a circular economy and the rational use of raw materials in the growth sectors.
Project owner: Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), represented by Yvon Englert
Designer: USQ evr-Architecten / BC-Architects / Callebaut-Architecten / VK-Engineering
Address: Avenue Fritz Toussaint 8 – 1050 Ixelles
Built-up area: 10 543 m2
Mariëndaal: Construction, on the Mariëndaal garden suburb in Neder-Over-Heembeek, of 46 social dwellings and one pavilion for common use accessible to the entire neighbourhood. Project divided into two separate plots: One main building with twenty apartments at the entrance of the garden suburb and 26 housing units in the Rue du Demi-Cercle, divided into eight grouped houses along a sinuous path.
Project owner: SLRB, represented by Rachid Hadad
Designer: AM LOW-NEY-MACOBO
Address: Cité Jardin Mariëndaal. Mariëndaal 70 / Rue du Demi-Cercle – 1120 Neder-Over-Heembeek
Built-up area: 5 219 m2
NovaCity: Mixed project that unites production, housing and public spaces in Anderlecht and that aims to give a new identity and coherence to an abandoned space in a densely populated, incoherent urban area with very diverse purposes. The project develops about 3500 m² of public spaces, about 15 workshops for SMEs and 63 conventional apartments.
Project owner: Citydev via Wolito sa
Designer: AM DDS+ / BOGDAN & VAN BROECK / EOLE
Address: Chaussée de Mons / Rue des Trèfles – 1070 Anderlecht
Built-up area: 15 453 m2
Vandeuren: Project consisting of the complete renovation of the Vandeuren quarter. The residential buildings will be renovated and restructured, their number will go from 160 to 132 and new facilities will be provided. Common spaces will be created, and the central garden will be upgraded to a collective meeting space. The new spaces will be open to all local residents and will be managed by neighbourhood organisations, in cooperation with BinHôme, which carries this project.
Project owner: Binhôme scrl represented by M. Simon Collignon
Designer: AM P&P Architectes / Atelier Architecture AA4
Address: Chaussée de Boondael, Rue François Dons, Avenue Pierre et Marie Curie, Rue Jean Vandeuren and Rue Delbove – 1050 Ixelles
Built-up area: 14 232 m2
The financial support for the development and realisation of these projects amounts to € 2,998,115, divided into: € 291,390 for category 1, € 1,081,725 for category 2 and € 1,625,000 for category 3.
