"De Vaartkapoen" is a community centre with a concert hall in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, in the middle of a multicultural community. The site is situated between 3 streets in a very dense building block and has been transformed into an open semi-public green inner area by demolition of dilapidated buildings. A new entrance and a passage were realized between 2 streets.
The community centre on Sint-Jozefstraat was stripped down to the concrete structure, reorganised and rebuilt according to contemporary standards with the addition of an elevator for accessibility.
The entrance is provided through the inner area, whereby visibility was increased by opening up the façade.
Along the new passage, an extension is planned for the Community Centre. The ground floor has a reception area with café/meeting room and the floors house multifunctional rooms for the Community Centre. Loading and unloading in front of the hall can be done via the inner area.
The existing hangar in the inner area has been converted into a low-energy building. This multifunctional space serves for various activities, such as room rental, Zinneke parade, rehearsal space, cultural activities, etc., … and others linked to the neighbourhood. The façade is fully glazed and can be opened all the way to the garden by means of folding doors.
The row house on Pastorijstraat was demolished and will make way for the new passage through the courtyard to Sint-Jozefstraat.
This serves as a new entrance, has an urban gate effect and is made visible by a 3-dimensional metal structure on which climbing plants will provide 'natural' facades and a green canopy.
The concert hall "VK" is located on the Schoolstraat, where the facades of the historic building with its specific wooden joinery and sgraffiti have been restored. The interior has been completely renovated to create an optimal meeting space, with the renovated entrance, foyer and concert hall on the ground floor.
A new hall for 480 people was built in the existing hall by using a concrete box-in-a-box to meet the high acoustic requirements.
The concert hall also got a 3rd emergency exit, renovated artists' boxes and a steel structure on top of the roof to reinforce it.
On the upper floors there is room for a "music lab", an artist's residence and an apartment for the concierge.
"De Vaartkapoen" is a comprehensive project that combines renovation and new construction. It shows the method of approach and the way in which it intervenes in an existing dense urban context, addressing the buildings in a sustainable way towards the future.
Solutions are being sought to fit a complex program into a complex urban environment with a limited budget.
By opening up the building block, creating an open inner area with garden and directing the various functions towards this inner garden, the various parts of the community centre are clearly positioned.
The architecture of the project acquires its own identity through materiality, reorganization of the site and its functions.
This project shows how WAW deals with an existing context in which the previously closed building block and community centre is transformed into a fordable and accessible whole with an open positive impulse for the neighbourhood
