Towards a new rurality in the Walloon Brabant region

Throughout the summer of 2024, as part of its Temps d'archi #10 entitled Vers une nouvelle ruralité ? (Towards a new rurality?), ICA will be taking you on a discovery of rural areas in Wallonia and the architectural approaches capable of developing their territory in a more qualitative way. Six guided tours will focus on the spatial challenges facing rural areas and provide answers, while inviting you to discover new ideas and sustainable ways of living together in the countryside. Designed as opportunities for discovery, exchange and discussion, the tours will be led by the architects in charge of the projects visited and members of the ICA.

This third day will take us on the roads of the province of Brabant Wallon on Sunday 25 August: 

10:00 : Centre William Lennox, ARTAU

11:30 : Grange des Six Heures, LRArchitectes

12:30 : Lunch (inclus)

14:00 : Cinéma le Monty, Karbon'

15:00 : École de Bornival, LRArchitectes

(1) Since 1984, the William Lennox residence has been home to around thirty patients suffering from profound epilepsy. The architectural firm ARTAU has completed the residence by erecting a building in the surrounding Natura 2000 protected forest area. The new building, made up of a wood and steel structure, is positioned in line with the existing trees and is supported by concrete pilings that give the impression that the building is floating in the middle of nature. Inside, two volumes organise the space, offering residents a permanent relationship with nature. The environment, like the architecture, plays a part in the implementation of the therapeutic project.

(2) The Grange des Six Heures, completed in 2023 by LRArchitectes, is a project to convert an old barn into a village hall in Walhain. The aim was to respect as far as possible the rural typology of the barn and its massive masonry envelope. Particular attention was paid to organising the building so as to provide multifunctional spaces that can be used together or independently of each other. In addition, the challenges of energy performance have not been overlooked, while taking care not to detract from the building's heritage quality. For example, insulation from the inside was favoured in order to preserve the aesthetic appeal of the exterior, while ensuring that the interior was as new and healthy as possible to accommodate the new functions.

3) The Monty is a former cinema that has been occupied by the TOF Théâtre puppet company since 2001. The building needed to be brought up to standard when the company bought it with its own funds. The architects at Atelier 229 were going to make the most of the building's potential to create a cultural space that would bring people together, be functional and poetic, despite the tight budget. The main operation was to reinforce the original masonry structure and increase the capacity of the large auditorium (150 seats), which was accompanied by an imposing ventilation system. Spatially, a large structural portico creates a support for the recovered seats on the auditorium side and a complementary stage room for the foyer below. In relation to the street, the small Art Deco bow of the building has become a multi-purpose entrance foyer, a bookshop, a space for meeting, dining and attending concerts or conferences.

(4) The refurbishment of Bornival school by LRArchitectes is an important vector for the viability of this often neglected rural area. It also creates more informal social contacts between pupils, teachers, parents and other village residents. The project responds to the need for additional classrooms by taking a holistic approach to the school as a whole, improving the sustainability, circulation, fluidity and general atmosphere of the existing buildings. It encourages interaction in new, strategically located, oversized circulation spaces and ensures contact with nature in the open-ground playground and in the classrooms opening onto the fields. In addition to the economy of means used to achieve a timeless atmosphere, this project ensures a transition between the street and the new classrooms, all of which are largely open onto the landscape.