dimanche 30 mai 2010

Open door for building sites - Journée chantiers ouverts 2010

Today was a special day. Not because it was the "20km de Bruxelles" (popular annual marathon) but because about 180 building sites in Belgium were open to the public.

I have visited 2 of them in Brussels Center and 1 (open door) school.

Please visit the link to know more about the project.



* VOLTA-TRIO: a major extension and renovation project ---> 23 000m² of new office space in Brussels
address: chaussée de Charleroi #110-116, 1060 St-Gilles
Architects: Jaspers (I know they suck!)
main construction company: groupe Eiffage --> Valens
date of construction: march 2009
due to (for seen in): september 2010
I chose to visit this project because of its location. It is indeed next to my former Architecture school. I've known this building from across the street before the major constructions were made. Back then, this building was occupied by the employees of Siemens.

It's incredible to discover now a place that I've been passing next to for 5 years (and more...) not knowing what incredible things were going on in it.

During the visit I got the chance to speak to a technico-commercial (I hate them! Well... Some of them), an entrepreneur and a secretary of the main company so don't hesitate to ask me questions about the progress of this construction with your comments.
---> asbestos
---> a hidden garden/parking site
---> 23 000 m² worth of offices
---> the interaction between construction companies
---> ...



* Social housing using passive energy in the middle of a green space
address: avenue Jean Dubrucq #224-226, 1080 Molenbeek St-Jean
Architects: B-Architecten
main construction company: Gillion sa
date of construction: march 2009
due to (for seen in): may-june 2010

This project is important to me because:
a) It's in my neighboorhood
b) It's one of the main projects of one of a "Contrat de Quartier" (I will soon make a post to explain what it is)
c) It involves the debat of new technologies in construction and special technics ---> this case: passive energy in housing

I can only say that I put lots of hope in this project. It's public (the client is the municipality of Molenbeek St-Jean) and it offers lots of possibilities in many points in construction: passive energy, a public green space for the neighboorhood (we need that), new design in Architecture.



* Centre Formation En Alternance Construction
address: rue de la Poste #262, 1030 Schaerbeek

The main purpose of my visit was to convince myself that the choice of working in the world construction can be motivated by a passion or at least a little fervor. I've seen more and more these days workers with little enthousiasm coming on my building sites. I wondered if they were forced to be workers because they needed it (it pays...) or if somekind of motivation was there to push them to work in the construction world.
As an unaware person I do not deny that I've had sometimes the prejudice of the worker being an "Average Joe". Although I believe (and now more) that the world of construction is made of good, hard working people. It's so hard to find them. But they are there. Not just quacks who only wants the client's money but real craftsmen who enjoy being a part of the construction of a building, of an architectural object. Thanks to the professors with whom I spoke to. They have helped me understand the world of construction from another point of view.

If I may give a pointer: don't neglect the persons who works with his hands. We need people like that. I hope they realise that. We should always thank them for the good work they do.

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