UITBREIDINGSSTRAAT BERCHEM
In 2010 ‘Woonhaven Antwerpen’ acquired an L-shaped property on the outskirts of Antwerp to reconvert as an infill project with 22 social housing units. The plot is flanked by a busy road with heavy traffic on the broader side (Uitbreidingstraat) and a calmer residential street on the narrow side (Arthur Sterckstraat). The potential of this vast piece of property manifests itself between these contradictory extremes. The dilapidated infrastructure of an old car company and a handful of houses gave way to two residential entities with an underground parking lot and a collective green garden. The grounds’ southwest orientation makes for a set of wide, well lit housing-typologies in the larger volume (Uitbreidingstraat) and a stack of narrow, longer dwellings in the smaller volume (Sterckstraat). Besides an optimal integration on the property – density, durability and minimizing circulatory space are key concepts of the design. The massive quality that characterizes architecture on the Binnensingel was maintained but applied in a contemporary way with a light brick and golden accents. Some hills with fruit trees creating a different atmosphere depending on the season, add a playful touch to the collective green garden.