https://www.architecturalrecord.com/rss/1587 en-us When the social-services department of a central Brussels municipality bought the contaminated 70,000-square-foot site of a former soap factory in 2005, it established a competition for the design of subsidized apartments.

]]> 1303-savonnerie-heymans-mdw-architecture.asp Sat, 16 Mar 2013 12:30:00 -0400 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7924-savonnerie-heymans Children play on the Grande Cour of the former soap factory turned public-housing project, where an old chimney rises among new buildings and the remains of a 1950s warehouse are now a bilevel playgro Savonnerie HeymansMDW ArchitectureBrusselsChildren play on the Grande Cour of the former soap factory turned public-housing project, where an old chimney rises among new buildings and the remains of a 1950s warehouse are now a bilevel playground.Photo © Filip Dujardin The architects renovated existing 18th- and 19th-century buildings into lofts and apartments, fusing them with new metal-faced dwellings and a colorfully glazed day-care center on a small garden or &l Savonnerie HeymansMDW ArchitectureBrusselsThe architects renovated existing 18th- and 19th-century buildings into lofts and apartments, fusing them with new metal-faced dwellings and a colorfully glazed day-care center on a small garden or “mini-forest.”Photo © Filip Dujardin The sustainable complex presents a discreet but welcoming face to the street with a community day-care center next to the entrance gate. Savonnerie HeymansMDW ArchitectureBrusselsThe sustainable complex presents a discreet but welcoming face to the street with a community day-care center next to the entrance gate.Photo © Filip Dujardin Almost every unit opens to a comfortable loggia surfaced with wood and enclosed by operable folding window walls that protect occupants from inclement weather and neighboring sounds. Savonnerie HeymansMDW ArchitectureBrusselsAlmost every unit opens to a comfortable loggia surfaced with wood and enclosed by operable folding window walls that protect occupants from inclement weather and neighboring sounds.Photo © Filip Dujardin 1 Entrance<br />2 Day-care Center<br />3 Garden<br />4 Parking<br />5 Playground<br />6 Chimney<br />7 Courtyard<br />8 Communal Lounge/Laundry Area<br />9 Existing Structure/Housing<br />10 New Housi Savonnerie HeymansMDW ArchitectureBrussels1 Entrance2 Day-care Center3 Garden4 Parking5 Playground6 Chimney7 Courtyard8 Communal Lounge/Laundry Area9 Existing Structure/Housing10 New HousingPhoto © Filip Dujardin