Modernist architecture revitalised in Brussels

The twelve-storey Florair buildings are impressive testimonies to Belgian post-war modernism. These social housing blocks were built in the early 1960s to a design by Belgian architect Remy van der Looven, and have now been brought into the 21st Century after extensive refurbishments by Atelier Kempe Thill together with Canevas Architectes et Ingenieurs and Greisch engineers, who sought to preserve the original architectural concept.

With the facade renovation, the architects decisively improved the energy performance of the buildings and brought modernism into the 21 Century.
The four buildings integrate into the surroundings in terms of both colour and design.
Around the plinth, glass mosaic has replaced the original natural stone cladding. Some of the original components have been preserved in display cases.
From afar, the buildings look bulky and colossal, from close up they reveal details of bordering lines and multifaceted surfaces in a uniform colour.
The prominent new facade enabled the horizontality of the buildings to be accentuated to a greater extent. Loggia insertions are set in white render.

Stylish new facade, improved energy performance

In the green municipality of Jette, on the outskirts of Brussels, Atelier Kempe Thill has revitalised two iconic ribbon development buildings from the 1960s. In addition to energy-related and technical refurbishment, the architects also focused on maintaining - and improving - the architectural quality of the stock buildings. Three-dimensional modelling of the facades with various material surfaces lend the large structures a depth of detail that is seldom found in social housing.

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19 valuable project [insights] pages about the revitalisation Residential housings "Florair". Find out everything – from design to construction, to comprehensive detailed solutions.

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