Interlaced. A 1970s mass social housing transformation interlaced with a new built social housing complex.

The main subject of the studio is “Spolia”, that can be explained as: “the left-overs or llspoilsgg of a building, which find themselves back in a new structure”[1]. The use of spolia can be economically, ecologically or aesthetically motivated[2]. However, the remains of the previous buildings are not only actual, physical elements with physical value to be assessed, but also the identity, images and atmosphere they create.The given site offers a variety of existing material - in order to answer the studio question of “what to keep?” an analysis and evaluation of existing tissue is needed.Anderlecht, where the site is located, is a bricolage of different identities; a vibrant and diverse community. Blended together are industrial and residential architectural building types of different scales, combined urban tissues of several ages, woven nationalities and entwined religions. With a gradual study of the neighbourhood many stories were unveiled.Those different lifestyles and different values are especially visible in Les Goujons – a mass social housing of enormous proportions and density. Built in 1970s as a solution to a housing crisis, it is now in a state of decay and deterioration. It is a massive project, housing over 900 inhabitants, with 382 apartments spreading over 18 floors. Lacking any human-scale, directed at one social group, designed without any consideration of fostering community or allowing socialization, with age it has gained a not-so-pleasant recognition.Les Goujons is not the only example of 1970s post-war mass housing deterioration. Similar projects of social housing were built all over Europe and world. Majority of them are facing the same problems: partial vacancy, neglect and poor safety condition, short life-span of housing and pauperization of its inhabitants.Housing offers more than just a shelter: it provides stability (both in terms of economics and in terms of peace of mind), feeling of security and a sense of belonging. Current social system does not always foster the situation of those who are in need. Could social housing be designed in a better way?The goal of the project is to propose an alternative for social housing. Haunted by problems such as neglect, vandalization, safety decrease, high turnover rates, the social housing complexes often seem to be a transit accommodation. Les Goujons, the building at the site, is currently experiencing many of those problems. The project will suggest transforming it through means of decreasing its density, modernisation of existing structure and addition of new functions. At the same time, in order to compensate for the lost units and provide more social apartments, a new housing complex will be designed, complementing the existing one. The neighbourhood will gain more residential buildings of better quality, aiming at their longevity. The introduced strategies will impact also the atmosphere of the place, improving its current state.The two parts of the complex will be working together as one, new composition, interlaced in palpable sense of shared scale, building geometry or materiality, but also in imperceptible sense of atmosphere, community and identity.