U-Residence

This academic residence on the campus of the Brussels Free University (VUB) fulfills a double function: accommodation for students, guest lecturers and athletes, as well as a representative congress venue combined with facilities for research in the field of sports medicine and physical performance. The architecture of the structure is derived from its implantation in the landscape and its urban context. The bent volume nestles between the curve of the athletics track and the row of trees along a historic bridleway. The new landmark, resting on a transparent base of pilotis, acts as a new gateway towards the university campus: the project takes advantage of its visibility on the Boulevard General Jacques to open and connect a previously introverted site.