Pension van Schoonhoven
The homeless are a vulnerable group, which makes designing a hostel for them a complicated task. Cities are not always proud of such facilities and tend to house them in unsightly buildings that, above all else, dispel the impression that the residents are pampered. The term ‘hostel’ (pension) refers primarily to what it should not be: it must not seem like a hotel or home, but not like a hospital either. It is to the especial credit of BULK architecten that they have been able to transform this sensitive assignment into something which, in their view, it had to be: a place that says ‘welcome’. This was achieved, as they themselves say, by optimal collaboration with the client and the contractor. First and foremost, the building makes a gesture towards the city of Antwerp.
The site is in the nineteenth-century station district, on what was originally a smart urban street where occasional new buildings on a large scale have disrupted the original rhythm of the street-front. BULK architecten restored two townhouses and to their left added three new buildings that return to the old plot width. The ground floor of the middle building includes an open passageway leading to both the main entrance and an inner garden with a pavilion for the daytime open house. The materials used for the façade are also oriented towards the surroundings. For the plinth they chose sanded concrete rather than bluestone. Above this, standard paving tiles imitate the plastered rustication pattern of the neighbouring buildings and are also a subtle reference to ‘the street’, a place with which the target group is very familiar. From the first floor upwards, the imitation of the traditional rendering is continued using simply laid concrete blocks. Here and there, a gleaming wall of green tiles offers a reminder of the original blank side walls. It is a touch of luxury or, as the architects themselves describe it, an Armani tie on a C&A suit. The gateway and entrance form an ingeniously conceived intersection where by the transparent‘shop window’ provides both safety and an inviting entrance to the offices and the communal areas. These are on the piano nobile, where a continuous corridor fluidly links together the old and new interiors. Above this are the rooms and flats, which had to meet very specific requirements. They had to be high enough to allow bad smells to rise to the top, all surfaces had to be aggression-proof and washable, and all the materials had to be vermin proof. The height of the ceilings guarantees that the rooms are light, the bamboo panelling and the colour of the tiles unmistakably evoke associations with a small hotel and once again offer a small hint of luxury. Another such hint is the roof garden, with its benches, plant tubs and again those green tiles. The roof terrace literally lifts the residents above the harsh life of the streets for a short while and theview offers them a surprising glimpse of a hidden neo-baroque church.
The constant dialogue with the surroundings connects the residents with their city, in the conviction that they are an essential part of it. The great lengths to which the architects went, and the significance they gave the project through their choice of materials, yields a setting that gives a degree of dignity to the residents. In addition to single men, these now also include women with children who have fled their domestic situation. According to the staff, the residents treat the building ‘relatively kindly’. This modest display of appreciation shows that BULK architecten have struck the right note.
- Eireen Schreurs
This project is published in Flanders Architectural Review N°14. When Attitudes Take Form
