Waterside, Brussels

The project involves converting the Waterside building, formerly used for tertiary functions, into a higher education and continuing education campus for the City of Brussels. This new educational hub brings together several institutions: the Francisco Ferrer College, the Institut des Carrières Commerciales, the Ferrer and Carter libraries, and Ferrer Formation, previously located in the Palais du Midi.

The building was constructed on two shared basement levels with the adjoining residential building, where the car park is located. It has a floor area of 2,118 m² and six levels.
The architectural work focused mainly on the interior refurbishment. The challenge was to transform a structure originally designed for offices into an efficient, flexible learning environment that complies with current standards, while optimising existing resources.

The building has a 400 m² interior courtyard, which has been enhanced as an outdoor meeting place. No changes were made to the exterior appearance visible from the public highway. The interior work on the block was minimal but targeted: creation of an additional emergency staircase in the courtyard and extension of the existing staircase to the fifth floor, with discreet adaptation of the exterior joinery to integrate access to the staircases.