Entre deux Ponts
This project arises from the necessity and the opportunity to rethink an abandoned area in the municipality of Ixelles, In Brussels.
During my stay in this city my interest in this problematic area grew more and more as I focused on trying to understand the neighborhood’s dynamics.
I tried to think about how I could reevaluate a place with so much potential but where nothing in fact happens.
The site is located on the border of two districts (Ixelles and Etterbeek), at a strategic point. Affected by gentrification, it is characterized by the presence of two bridges that mark the perimeter and create two different levels at two different heights, with a totally out of scale building “stuck” between them.
After a preliminary analysis, it was clear that the first problem that needed to be solved was the one relating to the different height levels: I had to connect the “plaza” to the higher street and at the same time to include the preexisting building. The goal was to redevelop the area, including new features that would encourage citizens to live the space to the full.
After taking into consideration several hypotheses, I focused on the project of a new building that could be connected to the preexisting one and at the same time could work as an “architectural promenade” between the various levels. The result is a 5 floor building, long and thin, located in front of the old one and which symbolizes a new face; it is directly connected to the existing one: this connection is not invasive, but realized in a specific point when new and different functions appear, such as a library, museum, computer rooms, exhibition spaces, bar etc.
There is an exchange between the oldest building and the new one and vice versa: the first one can create the space needed to host new functions, while the second one can be the middle way to allow you to enjoy these new spaces and at the same time move from one level to the other.
Metaphorically, the new building can be considered the screen where you can show the activities of the city, the transparency of the facade invites citizens to come in, to walk into the building and discover new spaces, to stay some minutes or maybe some hours, to be part of something that was not there before.
