MARIVAUX

Programme: A new residence for students and young professionals brings life back into the rue Saint-Pierre, Brussels

About: The project consists in the creation of a new residence for students and young professionals, a programme perfectly suited to bring life back onto the rue Saint-Pierre as the high number of residents and their round-the-clock lifestyle ensure a healthy animation spread throughout the day and evening. The restoration of the listed façade and the visibility given to the contemporary intervention, along with the refurbishment of this segment of the street, all contribute to make this previously forgotten portion of the Brussels centre participate in the city’s ambitious urban renovation programme. The project also contributes to relieve the significant shortage of student accommodation in Brussels. The project aims to create an enriching dialogue between the restored listed elements and the contemporary additions, in which both languages are combined into a stimulating whole while remaining clearly identifiable. Demolition of the dilapidated volume of the former auditorium (1) allows to bring light and open space into the previously fully built urban block. To avoid any façadism, an early decision was made to not only restore the listed elements, but to also conserve the entire 6 meter deep volume they were part of in the original design, which is perfectly suited to house parts of the new functions such as student rooms and some communal areas.