ROYAL THEATRE LA MONNAIE / DE MUNT 2000 - WORKSHOPS
LOCATION
Brussels, Belgium
CLIENT
AG 1824 s.a.
PARTNERS
-
ARTIST
Pierre Alechinsky
PROJET
1996 - 1997
CONSTRUCTION
1997 - 2000
AREA
25,000 sqm
CONTEXT
orchestra rehearsal room, performance hall,
workshops, management offices, and storage
SETTING
city centre
This is a mixed-use project offering office space, a series of apartment buildings (some of them with shops), small businesses and freelance professions, and a group of semi-detached houses (duplexes, studios and single-family homes). The main buildings are arranged around a simple but large and friendly public square, offering human size proportions and tranquillity, sheltered from the traffic. It is laid out so that passers-by can pause for a rest, and benches are placed besides large tubs of various coloured plants, flowers, and bushes. Three opposite and diagonal entries give access to this public space, connecting it with the neighbourhood, thereby encouraging a new social life in the area. The pedestrian areas have been intensively studied, and the layout of the surroundings offers a high-quality space interspersed with trees from the region, cycle parking, and private and public green space. A large car park is located underneath the square. The presence of green roofs throughout the site guarantees that the project retains not only its aesthetic but an environmental quality as well.