dmvA architecten BVBA

House of Lorraine

House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone

HOUSE OF LORRAINE

DmvA

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
Mechelen, Belgium

CATEGORY
Mixed Use Architecture, Renovation

AREA
689 m²

PHOTOGRAPHS
Sergio Pirrone

MANUFACTURERS
Vitrocsa, Schuco, Unicor

LEAD ARCHITECTS
David Driesen, Tom Verschueren, Gert-Jan Schulte, Emilie Dorekens

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
UTIL Struktuurstudies

CLIENTS
City of Mechelen

Text description provided by architect.

A few years ago, House of Lorraine was a decayed place, a grievance at the Grand Place in Mechelen. dmvA was asked to transform this corner and thus revive the market and street scene.

House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone

In this project, there was great importance attached to urban integration, with respect to the history of the building.

For dmvA, high-quality living was also the aim. The concept of House of Lorraine is based on the urban morphology of the Grand Place. Rather than building one big monolith, the rhythm and form of the original façades were kept.

House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone

In that way, the rhythm of the street was not disrupted. By preserving the rhythm of the façades, the residences are small and vertical.

dmvA decided not to arrange the indoor areas themselves, but instead give the inhabitants the flexibility to fill in their house according to their needs.

House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone

Because the house on the corner was once white plastered, city Mechelen requested dmvA to bring that back.

Therefore, the other houses became white too, each with different materiality.

House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone

The first façade consists of aluminum slats and the second one consists of precast concrete with a cross pattern. Because of their structure, the façades are airy and open but ensure enough privacy.

The third façade is glass, of which the ground floor can be used for commercial purposes. The fourth got renovated and white plastered.

INNER STREET GIVES STRUCTURE AND ANIMATES

Because of its position, the corner house didn’t have a great light flow.

House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone

As a solution, an inner street was created between the residences, allowing the light to circulate better and reach the corner house too.

At the end of the inner street there is a mur végétal, a vertical urban garden. The private terraces, built by floor tiles in expanded metal, were placed floating above the inner street.

House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone
House of Lorraine
© Sergio Pirrone

The St. Rumbold’s tower is, thanks to its close location, the ideal décor for the residents from their terrace. All homes are accessible through the semi-public space.

The social aspect of high-quality living is encouraged here: The inner street also functions as a meeting place for the residents


House of Lorraine
Context Plan
House of Lorraine
Basement Plan
House of Lorraine
Ground Floor Plan
House of Lorraine
First Floor Plan
House of Lorraine
Second Floor Plan
House of Lorraine
Third Floor Plan
House of Lorraine
Rooftop Plan
House of Lorraine
Section


House of Lorraine
Facades
House of Lorraine
Diagram

dmvA architecten BVBA
T +32 15 330986
dmvA architecten BVBA
Sint-Katelijnestraat 16, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium