The project aims to adapt the former Laeken railway station to current standards of accessibility and sustainability, while integrating a Horeca function and redesigning its immediate surroundings. The building, which had long been left abandoned before being repurposed as a cultural centre, is approached with respect for its existing structure and its heritage value. Given its status as a listed monument, interventions to the exterior focus primarily on the restoration and renovation of the façades and roofs. Within this dialogue between heritage and contemporary uses, a new steel structure is added on the track side: a winter garden, conceived as a light construction floating above the railway lines. This structure is supported by the façade of the existing building and by three steel columns, while the floor of the winter garden is executed in profiled steel sheeting. Located on the south side, and with a form reminiscent of a historic canopy, the winter garden acts as a thermal and acoustic buffer. The heart of the former station now becomes the new reception area on the ground floor, accommodating a socio-cultural café, an entrance hall and a multipurpose room, complemented by a backstage area, a cloakroom and sanitary facilities. The project as a whole seeks to preserve the building’s original structure as much as possible, while breathing new life into it, adapted to contemporary cultural and urban needs.

Brussels Architecture Prize 2021, selected in the category ‘small intervention’ : conversion of a train station into a socio-cultural building, Brussels (BARC-15-LAKEN) architecte : B-architecten

Publica Awards 2019, ‘Heritage and Architecture’ category: conversion of a train station into a socio-cultural building, Brussels (BARC-15-LAKEN) architecte : B-architecten