Boechout Midden

In the Boechout Midden project, the architects aimed to find a delicate balance between town and village scapes. The challenging construction programme imposes a high resident density at the heart of a village environment. Because of its central location in Boechout and seamless train connections, the Boechout Midden site is an ideal candidate for high-density construction. IJzerlei is a typical example of recognizable village structures: workers houses, terraced houses, an apartment building, a notary's residence. By ingeniously linking the houses together, all the buildings retain their familiar village-like proportions while still achieving a considerable density of residents. The wooden 'extra floors', for example, surreptitiously added two storeys to existing apartment buildings. The result is a modern interpretation of a village residential area culminating in a quiet village square. The imposing building on the dynamic Molenlei shields the new residential area from through traffic. Its dimensions and prominent position near the station reflect a more urban character. The entire project is connected by an impressive architectural design. The architects decisively opted for brick, white steel accents, wood and concrete. The colour palette changes for each type, but the texture is retained. Reconciling the contemporary need for high-density residential development with a village identity, makes Boechout Midden a fine example of architectural craftmanship.

This project was opened on the occasion of the 2019 Day of Architecture. The text is based on a contribution by Amélie Van Isacker.