Master Class 120% Brussels

120% Brussels
International Master Class
Denisse FLOREA (RO)
Marrit WINKELER (NL)
Proposal 2B
The relationship with the existing
traditional urban fabric is explored
through the introduction of a different
scale, inspired by the industrial
buildings present in the area. The
interesting factory buildings are
preserved as components of a new
composition of large volumes,
creating certain permeability on the
site. The new buildings introduce
a new scale of dwelling into the
neighborhood, as a response to
the metropolitan landscape element
that the canal creates in the city.
The negative space of the large
buildings thus opens up toward the
canal and the immediate surroundings,
and creates inner “urban
courtyards” between the buildings.
Although the proposed architecture
is resolutely large-scale, the
projects inner spaces create variety
and provide proximity in terms of
materiality, texture and fragility.
The surprising inside space of the
massive blocks are revealed on
the ground floors, where urban
activities connect the courtyards
to the inner spaces in terms of
scale and use. The tension between
the volumes themselves as well as
the tension between the old and
new fabric creates urban spaces that,
despite their bigness, are both
highly urban and of a human scale.
Density: 328.1 dwellings/ha
Building Height: 4–7 floors
Ground floor: offices/ateliers