Design and Innovation Training Centre

Programme

Computer rooms, virtual classroom, photo studio.

The rehabilitation of the Université du Travail is a pivotal element in the rebirth of Charleroi, and the conversion of its boiler house is the keystone of this multi-decade project. This fine red brick building is typical of industrial architecture of the first half of the 20th century, where modernist functionalism, abstract by definition, is allowed a certain formal expressiveness. The imposing volume makes dynamic use of its compact form, accentuated by the steep slope and its vertical openings. The boiler house was a small urban plant in a complex that trained skilled manual workers. An entire iconography has been eroded over time; the reconversion is putting it back on the agenda. Conversion is also emblematic of a shift towards a low-carbon society. Gutted of the machines and oil tanks it once housed, the boil- er room now stands as a symbol for a society which is shedding dense forms of energy. Abandoning its energy-transforming function frees up usable space. In addition to this emblematic reversal, the liberated boiler room offers very generous views over the suburban landscape of Charleroi. It is also a landmark building whose visibility is increased tenfold by its location at the top of a steep slope. The transformation itself is minimal. The traces of the past are not smoothed over, and the hitherto unusable interior spaces become an exhibition and meeting space for a design centre. From worn but solid tiles, to reused service walkways, the choice has been to maintain everything that can be kept and to bring everything else up to standard. The quality of the large interior transforms the boiler room into an open and welcoming multi-purpose space, a symbol of what the energy transition makes possible in a city for which dense energies, once a boon, have become a curse.

Christophe Catsaros