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Two Brussels projects nominated for World Architecture Awards

09:47 09/07/2019

Two architectural projects in Brussels have been nominated for the World Architecture Awards, which take place in December in Amsterdam. There are more than 500 nominations across 33 categories comprising project in 70 countries.

Half of the prizes go to planned developments that are not yet complete or have not yet broken ground. The new prison complex in Brussels’ Haren neighbourhood was nominated in the Civic category of the Future Projects section.

Set to the largest prison in the country, the compound in the north of Brussels-City recently got the go-ahead, after the Council of State ruled against complaints lodged against the project. Designed by B2Ai in Brussels and the Dutch firm EGM, the complex will include eight buildings, including three men’s prisons, two women’s prisons, a forensic psychiatric centre, a juvenile detention centre and an administrative centre.

“We took the view that detention must always lean towards normalisation, rehabilitation and integration, in each instance in combination with the required security conditions,” notes B2Ai in a statement. “One of the difficult aspects of this project was to incorporate a detention policy in an efficient yet humane complex that meets contemporary needs and is also adaptable to future evolutions within the prison service.”

The building nominated in the Completed section is Site Van Oost in Schaarbeek. An abandoned factory – one of the municipality’s most famous eyesores – was torn down, and two new schools built in its place. The development also includes a sport facility and 11 flats.

“Site Van Oost forms an integral part of a larger sustainable development plan for the municipality of Schaarbeek, aiming to revalue its rich 19th-century architectural heritage and urban patrimony and to revitalise the municipality,” said architect DDS+ in a statement. “With its mixed programme offering two school buildings, a sports hall and apartments, the project aims to equip the residential district with extended public services and to expand the housing stock.”

The awards will be announced at the World Architecture Festival, which runs from 4-6 December.

Architectural rendering of Haren Prison courtesy B2Ai

Written by Flanders Today