The Hug
OPEN CALL
Health care in a metropolitancity often goes hand in hand with other, less obvious forms of care, such as the treatment of people in precarious situations. For this reason, the Urban Development Corporation (SAU/MSI) of the Brussels Capital Region works on a new integrated centre for the reception and counselling of drug addicts, especially with a very low threshold. This centre will be located in the city center in order to promote the visibility of these services to vulnerable drug users.
The location next to the headquarters of the Port of Brussels and on the edge of the future Beco park will require an urban response that deals with this visibility on the one hand and respects the intimacy of the centre’s activities on the other. At the same time, the centre must be open to the surrounding neighbourhoods and contribute to social cohesion. In this way, the project must become an integrated part of the metropolitan context of Brussels.
The project will group several services in order to offer a complete range of benefits: from an accessible reception, the possibility of meeting basic needs (food, drink, sleep, washing, etc.) to general medical care.
The client is therefore looking for a multidisciplinary team with the capacity to translate the multiple specific requirements of this highly complex programme into an ambitious and inventive architectural response.
EXISTING CONTEXT
PLANNED CONTEXT
The new 'Becopark' is being created next to the Brussels Canal, as this design was not created with the new drugcentre for Transit in mind, we suggest some adaptations to the current plans:
Existing context
The construction of the BECO-park starts next to Sainctelette, creating sportinfrastructure and green areas.
At the end of the new Beco park the new centre for transit will be constructed
Existing context
SOCIAL INJECTIONS
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By maintaining the neighbouring archstructure, a buffer is created. A pleasant walk through different types of plants, all with specific functions. Here, we create safe place to grow food and let your children grow up.
On the side of the Havenlaan , we create a play garden: a hilly landscape is created with trees that are fun to climb in, this links to the existing plan to create a playground next to Transit.
On the side of the canal, we create an edible garden: apple, pear, fig and cherry trees are planted under the structure. On the ground shrub plants like raspberries, strawberries can be harvested. The structure is used to house vine plants like grapes, kiwi and blackberries. This edible garden is accessible to all and is linked to a picnic area next to the water, under the shade of a walnut tree.
THE BUFFER: A GROWING GARDEN
A CITY ADAPTED TO SOFT MOBILITY
