Urban recently granted the planning permission for the redevelopment of the Schlumberger site, which is situated in Uccle.
This ambitious project by AG Residential is the result of a long process and has been adapted numerous times throughout the drafting process by the ARCHI 2000 firm and after that during the examination of the project by Urban. The constructive dialogue between the project leaders, the architects and the regional and municipal authorities has contributed to the quality of this major project, combining respect for heritage with modernity.
The Schlumberger site is situated between the Rue du Wagon, the Rue de Stalle and the Avenue Guillaume Herinckx, right opposite the new municipal administration of Uccle. This site is characterised by the presence of exceptional industrial buildings dating from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, which the applicant has decided to renovate and restore, while also constructing new volumes on the site. The project will ensure the renovation of the existing buildings and the building of housing units, and will also improve the functional mix in the neighboourhood. Seeing as this site is situated in a highly mixed area in the regional land use plan, the project includes almost 20% of other functions than housing in its programme, namely offices, commercial property, but also community service facilities, liberal professions, etc.
An establishment thought out in terms of the topography and the neighbourhood
The establishment and sizes of the new and renovated old buildings have been studied in terms of the overall height difference of the site: the highest buildings will be on the side of the railway embankment, while certain demolitions and modifications will open up views from within the site, always respecting the building sizes in the immediate area. The new volumes will allow for the space on the side of the Rue du Wagon to be restructured and will generate interesting sequences on the site, opening up views of the preserved and restored old buildings, whereas a structuring axis going from the Rue de Stalle to the centre of the site will organise the internal space and will activate all functions efficiently.
A clear organisation of the spaces and the entrances
The originally proposed establishment of the new volumes in plots has been revised and replaced by a more linear reading, which fits into the characteristic built lengths of the existing industrial site. The activities on the ground floors and the prioritisation of the outdoor spaces will offer a balance between connection with the neighbourhood and privacy for the inhabitants of the site. The entrances to the buildings are unmistakable and situated along the structuring axis for other functions than housing, and for the housing units, they are in the Rue du Wagon, visible through the semi-private garden.
An environmentally friendly and landscape-conscious project, connected to the neighbourhood and its inhabitants
The project will generate a coherent urban structure and outdoor spaces benefitting from high-quality landscaping. These spaces will offer fine qualities with regard to landscaping and the environment, as well as exemplary rainwater management on the plot. A big part of the site has been depaved so as to make the plot more permeable. The project will also open up this site, which until now was totally private, in an interesting way. The creation of a gateway to the neighbourhood, with a rain garden, and the marking of the corner where the Rue du Wagon meets the Rue de Stalle with a corner building are interventions that will offer an adequate connection of the site to the neighbourhood. Establishing shops, hotels, restaurants and cafés as well as community service facilities will help to encourage inhabitants to make the site their own and will allow for an open flow between the neighbourhood and the site.
Lastly, the architectural value of the existing buildings will be enhanced by both the planned interventions on these buildings and by the architectural treatment of the new building (combining both the traces of the industrial past and the contemporary interventions).
The Schlumberger site is notable for its industrial character and for the use of red bricks that were typical for that era. Choosing repurposed bricks in similar hues therefore harmonises with the existing buildings. However, the masonry craftsmanship will give every building its own identity while ensuring unity. This choice confirms that the project leader and their architect show respect for the existing heritage and do not want to clash with the site but integrate the new buildings into the whole in a discreet and subtle way.
