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ONLINE BRUSSELS HERITAGE - ONE-DAY SEMINAR - 11/12/2014

SUSTAINABLE RENOVATION OF A BRUSSELS HOUSE: A CHALLENGE FOR BUILDING TRADESMEN

JÉRÔME BERTRAND
CENTRE URBAIN ASBL

TRADITIONAL BRUSSELS HOUSES POSSESS NUMEROUS QUALITIES, IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY, THAT CAN BE ENHANCED DURING A RENOVATION PROJECT. IN A CONTEXT WHERE THE MAJORITY OF WORKS ARE CARRIED OUT WITHOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF ANY ARCHITECT, THE TRAINING OF COMPANIES AND THE EDUCATION OF CLIENTS PLAYS A DECISIVE ROLE.

This contribution starts by considering the advantages and constraints of the traditional Brussels house (from the Late 19th century and early 20th century) in terms of sustainability. This will therefore, initially, be a diagnostic type approach. It will then address energy renovation and heritage through a number of examples of works, focusing on a renovation carried out as part of the call for Batex projects by Brussels Environment (see p. 14), before illustrating some of the difficulties faced by craftspeople as a result of the application of new requirements in terms of energy. It concludes with the issue of training for these trades and the provision of information intended for the public.

THE BRUSSELS HOUSE: A SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE

I really liked the suggestion by Vincent Degrune to add a fourth pillar to the three pillars that define sustainable development (the environmental, social and economic aspects) to include the cultural aspect (see p. 86-93). It is with this in mind that I will consider the heritage value of the Brussels house. Figures 1 and 2 show two familiar Brussels urban landscapes. Rue de Locht is lined with neoclassical-inspired façades rendered and painted in light tones. They represent the first major phase of urbanisation in the second half of the 19th century. The second row, on Rue des Paquerettes, demonstrates the emergence, at the end of the century, of a new taste for exposed materials. The facings are composed of bricks of various colours which alternate with bands of blue or white stones. During this period, with the proliferation of balconies and bow windows, façades were increasingly coming alive in a three-dimensional sense. Nevertheless, what characterised Brussels’ urban landscape at the time was the detail in the composition, which is reminiscent of the works of early Flemish painters. The detail was the starting point from which the whole was created (fig. 3 to 5).

From the perspective of energy consumption, the contiguous nature of traditional Brussels houses is an asset since it reduces the surfaces from which heat is



102 | Sustainable renovation of a Brussels house: a challenge for building tradesmen