Drie Leeuwen, Vilvoorde, Belgium

De Drie Leeuwen is a project in Vilvoorde consisting of three residential buildings, of which the first phase, a 14 story tower of 70 appartments, has been completed. The project creates a valuable infill at the corner where the Medialaan and Tweeleeuwenweg meet. The completed building is part renovation, part new build whereby the existing apartment block is extended on one side to create a T-shaped plan. A lively facade of balconies on the new building takes the place of the blank wall of the original. Each flat has a private outdoor space in the form of a terrace and the ground floor is radically improved.

The new residential tower stands on a raised green plinth, creating a generous entrance to the different apartments in the building and a garden terrace above. The plinth will be covered with vegetation, both on the upper surface and on the facades. Evergreen planting and new trees surrounding the buildings will create a green character on the ground floor level, complementing the ‘hanging gardens’ of the new podium. Combined with the vertical cascade of the raised terraces, the project connects, visually and conceptually to the park opposite. This hybrid form offers a qualitative response to the social and environmental issue of retaining and updating mid-century housing types.