Bristol

The project site is located near the Botermarkt in Ledeberg, at the intersection of Hundelgemsesteenweg and Weldadigheidstraat. Situated within the interior of the block is a former dance hall that has been designated as a heritage site. Access to the dance hall is via a passageway next to Café Bristol, which is also a listed heritage building. Both the café and the dance hall are being restored. Together with a new corner building, they will be converted into student housing comprising 50 rooms and an associated multi-purpose hall. In addition to the student housing, a residential building containing 10 units is being constructed. The new building at the corner of Hundelgemsesteenweg and Weldadigheidstraat harmonizes with the surrounding architecture, consisting of three storeys plus an additional level beneath a pitched roof. The corner volume features concave façade sections that continue the bay rhythm of the adjacent building. Rounding these façade elements creates a play of cast shadows that reinforces this bay rhythm. Consequently, the volume not only aligns with the historic façade of Café Bristol but also integrates with the morphological grain of the small-scale workers' houses on Weldadigheidstraat. The roof area is optimized through the inclusion of distinctive, rounded roof extensions that visually continue the concave façade bays.

The vertical articulation of the façade—evident in both the adjacent Café Bristol and the corner building—is carried through to the façade of the residential building. This structure consists of five virtually identical bays that alternate between recessed terraces made of architectural concrete and volumes clad in grey-toned masonry. In this way, the building aligns with the façade rhythms of both adjacent structures without compromising its own identity. The result is a juxtaposition of three striking buildings—a contemporary triptych with Café Bristol acting as the protagonist and orchestrator, and a shared structural bay width serving as the common denominator.