Architect：Collectief Noord Architecten

Location：Canadalaan, Antwerp, Belgium

Project Year：2019

Category：Social Housing

Based on the idea that a strong collective exists by virtue of strong individuals, we opt for an appropriate balance between togetherness and segregation. We believe that the collective can work better if everyone feels comfortable within a group of peers. An ensemble is made that consists of three buildings with as many identical housing types as possible in each building.

By composing the building stamp from 'smaller' volumes on the scale of an apartment building, they connect on the one hand with the grain of the edge of the existing area. By presenting themselves as an ensemble, they also refer to the larger scale of the existing ensembles at Luchtbal Zuid.

The ensemble is formed by three buildings that form a whole on a low pedestal: a long slab on Noorderlaan (which also functions as a noise barrier), a higher building on a second plan and a lower volume on the northern edge

The space on the low pedestal between the three buildings of the ensemble works like a belvedere with a view of the park. It does not bet on destinations, but directs all movements of forwarding and leaving.

In this way the space gets the right tone as a semi-public space. It is always accessible to everyone and neutral enough not to be fully appropriated by the residents.

A plinth over two floors and the trees on the semi-public space introduce a different scale: the slab falls apart into three opposite buildings on the user's scale. Above the plinth the buildings become more abstract and there is a strong focus on a repetition of windows in accordance with the modernist appearance of the larger existing buildings at Luchtbal Zuid.

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