In a residential building on a corner plot in Schaerbeek, a single-storey apartment and attic space have been converted into a duplex apartment. The third floor serves as a sleeping area and the fourth floor houses the living areas. The roof has been raised to create a mansard roof, and a new terrace, at the heart of the plan, opens up and illuminates the various living spaces: living room, kitchen and dining room. These rooms face outwards, taking advantage of the southern exposure, the view of the city and the calm of the inner courtyard. A bay window and a wooden bench form a fine boundary between inside and outside and link these spaces together. This simple furniture manages the difference in level of the terrace and allows you to sit against this wall.
This introverted living floor is connected to the third floor by a private staircase. Three rooms and three bedrooms communicate with each other, accommodating the angular geometry of the building. Their near-equivalence allows for a free arrangement of spaces according to the changing needs of the inhabitants: an office, a dressing room, a guest room, a children's room, etc. However, a bay window gives the third room a special value. On the façade, the presence of the bay window is enhanced by a dormer window, a window opening onto the city and a discreet sign of the apartment's transformation.
Schaerbeek architecture prize 2019
photographs : © Maxime Delvaux