Le Clos Van Exter

Context

Le Clos Van Exter, located at the end of the street with the same name in Uccle, was awarded planning permission for a new use at the end of 2015. Designed to accommodate a residential zone around a meeting space, this plot measuring almost 3,100 m² has an ideal location: walking distance to the town's amenities (close to tram lines 4 and 51, Calevoet station and the shops on Chaussée d'Alsemberg), nestled in lush greenery and protected from noise.

Project study

For this project, according to the specifications of the subdivision permit, Gillion Développement proposes a set of 10 low-energy homes arranged around a welcoming green space incorporating 18 underground parking spaces.

The topography study quickly revealed a major technical constraint. Le Clos Van Exter is located in a valley bottom, close to the Ukkelbeek watercourse. Water is present in the subsoil, which complicates the construction of the parking spaces. To dig at depth, it is necessary to proceed with the drawdown of the water table, an advanced technique which is here implemented with the support of a specialist company.

Production

Once the outline of the project has been defined, the architect is called on to start drawing up plans for the future Clos Van Exter. Two blocks of five homes are distributed on either side of the central green space. Each family home, measuring +/- 190 m², consists of a big bright living room, facing onto a terrace with a garden, a first floor with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and a loft suitable for conversion. An attractive balcony can also be accessed from the master bedroom.

A special feature of the project is the positioning of the staircase parallel or perpendicular to the façade, defining two distinct interior layouts. In "parallel" type homes, the living room has a beautiful large rectangular space and the attic is ideal for a large master bedroom.   In "perpendicular" type homes, the movement between the different rooms of the first floor is particularly fluid and the attic is a fully open room that can be used in various layouts.

Construction

After the drawdown of the water table and performing the earthworks, the team continued the structural works by encasing the building in a monolithic shell to seal the subsoil. The chosen technique was an apron, a concrete slab 40 cm thick which guarantees the solidity of the foundations, in addition to a balanced distribution of the load.  Deferred phasing is also planned for the construction of the garage ramps, which are integrated with the hull but must be made later to ensure access for the construction equipment.

In terms of insulation, the homes meet the low-energy standards with BEP B- certificates (C+ for the 3 façades). Each home has an independent heating system (gas boiler) and ventilation system (double flow group). The finishing was given particular attention, with the fitting of hyper-equipped kitchens and top-quality finishes.