On the western side of Hermann-Dumont Square, a group of three houses, now listed buildings, reflect an early 20th-century architectural project. One of these three houses is located on the bend where the square meets the street. The Brussels style adapts to the constraints of a corner plot. Today, the project is the starting point for a new way of thinking about living spaces. The layout is designed to be “variable”, allowing flexibility between common and private spaces, making it possible for several people to live together - a kangaroo home
Access to the ground floor reveals a large open staircase, triangular in shape and lit by natural light. The first floor is organised into three adjoining rooms. A dining room and living room enjoy the light from the east, while the kitchen faces west and the centre of the block. This is the common floor of the dwelling. On the second floor, the first unit consists of a bathroom, dressing room and bedroom opening onto a winter garden.
Through a series of spaces – the balcony, the winter garden, the terrace, the solarium – and a single material – zinc cladding – the project unifies the rear façade, which in Brussels is often characterised by an additive construction with no apparent order of annexes and extensions.
published in : “Brussels housing. Atlas of residential building types”, G. Ledent, A. Porrotto, K. Borret, Birkhäuser, 2024
photographs : © Severin Malaud