Savonnerie Heymans / MDW Architecture

Architects: MDW Architecture
Area: 6,500 m²
Year: 2011
Photography: Filip Dujardin
Project Team: Xavier De Wil, Marie Moignot, Gilles Debrun
Structure Consultants: SETESCO, Waterman TCA
Mechanical and Electrical Consultants: MK Engineering
Acoustics Engineering: ATS
Constructions: SECO Group
Client: CPAS de Bruxelles
City: Brussels
Country: Belgium

Savonnerie Heymans, designed by MDW Architecture in Brussels, transforms a former soap factory site into a vibrant social housing complex. The project, located less than half a mile from the Grand’Place, features 42 diverse accommodations, bioclimatic loggias, and extensive public spaces, creating a sustainable urban village atmosphere.

On the 6,500 square meter site of a former soap factory near the Grand’Place, the Savonnerie Heymans social housing project creates a village-like atmosphere with 42 sustainable accommodations, including studios, apartments, lofts, duplexes, and maisonettes. Although it is a 100% public housing scheme, the variety of spaces reflects the diversity of residents in central Brussels. Glass-enclosed bioclimatic loggias provide effective acoustic and thermal barriers, ensuring privacy.

In response to Brussels’ rapid population growth, the project offers high-density accommodations with amenities such as a room for social events, a public game library (Ludothèque), and extensive public spaces, including a mini-forest garden, a landscaped park, playground, and main promenade. Valuable historical buildings and elements, like the 40-meter-high chimney, the main 19th-century house, and the postal relay, were preserved and integrated into the complex. The chimney is used for underground garage ventilation.

The glass-enclosed bioclimatic loggias offer state-of-the-art acoustic and thermal insulation, significantly reducing energy consumption without requiring expensive services. The loft building is designed as a “Passive” building with super-tight insulation, needing less than 15 kWh per square meter annually for heating. The decontaminated land now hosts a high-density social housing complex, fostering interaction among residents and creating a convivial atmosphere.

The Savonnerie Heymans project includes a mix of new, renovated, and refurbished buildings, reflecting the variety of accommodations. Developed around sustainable development principles, the project features low-serviced buildings, bioclimatic loggias for energy efficiency and noise protection, and semi-outdoor spaces for individual units.

The lofts are passive buildings, while the rest of the complex is low-energy rated. The project includes a collective heating system (cogeneration), solar panels for hot water, rainwater harvesting, and natural insulation materials like hemp fibers and expanded cork. Existing buildings and structures were retained and reused whenever possible.