Architects Victoire Chancel and Carla Frick-Cloupet / FL.5.2, in collaboration with artist Rachel Magnan and the After Howl artist collective, 2021

Visitors to the Théâtre Océan Nord, housed in a former modernist garage in Schaerbeek since 1996, are now greeted by a foyer that opens onto the existing access ramp. An original methodology was put in place as a result of economic constraints. The project was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of architects, artists, theoreticians, craftspeople and theatre managers, working to fluidify the link between theory and practice, design and realisation. Team members were able to work together, exchanging roles and experiences.

This self-built collective project gave pride of place to materials and colours – green tables, red chairs, yellow tubular railings, etc. – and left plenty of room for experimentation and randomness. Velvet curtains salvaged from the theatre's stocks were given a new lease of life by bleaching them to absorb stains. The concrete bar, poured into a formwork created by the removal of the old countertop, comes alive with blue waves created by mass dyeing in different layers.

→ Find out more about this project nominated for the Brussels Architecture Prize
If you loved the project you visited, why not vote for it in the People's Choice Award? Voting is open until 5 December and the winner will be announced on 12 December: https://brusselsarchitectureprize.be/en/vote/.