Czvek Rigby is a Brussels-based architecture and urban design practice. The team shows a particular affinity for urban dynamics within which quality of life is maximised by exploiting the opportunities offered by the given context. Showing awareness for all actors of the process, they are committed to provide an integrated approach in order to deliver creative proposals. They work on various private and public assignments in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia. From cultural centres to social housing and from private renovations to urban development studies, their projects share a social and cultural commitment in dialogue with end users.

Emilie Bechet is an architect and urban designer. She is involved in the development of numerous housing projects, from individual units to large-scale complexes. She is interested in the inhabited urban fabric and its various typologies. She is particularly interested in the evolution of living patterns and their influence on the built environment.

During the Archiweek, we invite you to visit the project Rue des Glands.

Located at the foot of the park Duden the project consists in the transformation of an interbellum house and blacksmith's workshop into two housing units. The lower unit is organised through adjustment of the existing workshop structure. The shed roof is punctually open. Rooms – indoor and outdoor – are sequenced in the length of the parcel. The upper dwelling takes place in a new volume. Open to the south, it also benefits from generous northern light.

On the street side the extension and its pattern of green tiles strongly relates to the existing façade. At the back the project opens to the building block with a wooden curtain wall and a southern terrace.

In both units, the choice was made to keep the structural elements visible, from the wooden beams to the steel columns and masonry walls. Hemp blocks are used for interior insulation. Optimal use was made of existing finishing. Locally sourced and reused building materials (ranging from tiling and parquet to kitchen cladding and lighting) contribute to the singularity of the project.