Arc Housing

Programme

Reconversion into a residence offering housing and indoor and outdoor shared spaces.

The building, an emblematic modernist structure built between 1932 and 1939 by the architects Joseph Moutschen and Albert Puters, was occupied until 2005 by the University of Liège. It is rooted in the industrial history of the region, where for a long time it symbolized modernity and prosperity. The challenge of renovating and changing the use of this former mechanical institute was to find a function that would both suit the unique nature of the building and respond to contemporary energy standards and societal changes. It was a private developer that proposed investing in this modernist heritage through an innovative programme based on new ways of living. This new residential space follows the principles of "co-living" for a youthful population (students, researchers, young couples starting out in working life, etc.) The original ground plan of four wings has been retained. The central part, which originally housed a large auditorium that was destroyed by fire, has been replaced by a courtyard with trees. The architects have found a balance between compact and functional private units, responding to new living arrangements, such as AirBNB, and high quality, convivial common spaces: library, shared kitchen, rooftop, yoga and fitness rooms, sauna, etc. These offer comfort and an element of luxury at an affordable price. The pooling of equipment, spaces and even transport responds to today’s challenges. Some of the old furniture has been salvaged and supplemented with second-hand items, while from an architectural point of view, the most notable elements have been preserved and restored, with the concrete framework omnipresent and magnified.

Anne Norman