The former Veterinary School in Anderlecht has been transformed into housing units.The Large Central Clinic in the Veterinarians' Park is part of the former State Veterinary Medicine School site, built at the end of the 19th century. It has been classified as Monumental Heritage of Belgium since 1990. The private restoration project is located near Gare du Midi and the Brussels Ring, and proposes a green heating system with heat pumps.
The development consists of 18 high-end housing units, built on four levels across an area of 3,000m2, including private gardens. There are 5 duplex apartments with private entrances in the front, and apartments and studios on the first and second floors of the central part. The ground floor includes a covered parking lot.
The architectural firm Solidesco, which specialized in the restoration of heritage buildings, was responsible for the transformations, which required intense discussions with the authorities, particularly the Royal Commission on Monuments and Sites (CRMS). The final result responds harmoniously to the multiple site requirements.
The Large Central Clinic became the first "Green" building equipped with a heat pump system (one per dwelling) on a classified site in Brussels. Clima&Partners installed the heat pumps.
The entire site has been rehabilitated, with 110 private housing units, offices, and co-working spaces located in different buildings. An environmental permit and a single permit have been obtained for the complete redevelopment of all surroundings and access to the entire site. Once completed, the work will provide four distinct entrances, ensuring optimal security for current and future inhabitants. One of the strengths of the project is its proximity to Gare du Midi and the Brussels Ring Road.
Jean-Philippe Brondel, the project architect, said: "The site of the former Veterinary School constitutes a unique setting in the city and the Grande Clinique Centrale will be an exceptional place. It constitutes the last piece of the puzzle of redevelopment of a site which, once the surroundings are completed, will be simply remarkable. A thought omnipresent guided our work how to include ecology in a listed building. The municipality d’Anderlecht was more than supportive of our project because it transforms a disused place into a space that wonderfully combines the new and old spirit, particularly sought after by investors and future buyers."
Nicole Copcea, the project owner, said: “This project was made possible thanks to the perseverance and unity of the teams in place, who managed to convince the authorities and public to transform an old building with high heritage value into an environmental haven of peace completely secure where life will be good. It will be a sort of small village in a large city where everything has been designed to provide a high quality of life for its inhabitants. The Great Clinic Centrale will change the perception we have of a classified site to be rehabilitated into a project including techniques in perfect harmony with sustainability and climate change. Our project will open the path to other similar initiatives. Moreover, the role of the authorities remains essential. They must increasingly encourage, in particular by simplifying administrative procedures, the involvement of investors and developers in the construction of housing but also in the restoration of heritage buildings in Belgium.”
Image provided by Blink PR.
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