The Faculty opened earlier this summer on the former Veterinary College site in Anderlecht (Brussels). Hasa won the competition in 2010 for the conversion into offices, whilst Arter was selected for the exterior restoration. This collaboration, which also involved the engineering firm Daidalos Peutz, resulted in a contemporary, energy-efficient renovation of a monument in the Neo-Flemish Renaissance style.

The site, which has been developed in stages over several decades, is largely privately owned. The former administrative building, along Veeartsenstraat, was purchased by the municipality of Anderlecht in the late 1990s. “Although built in the Neo-Flemish Renaissance style, the impending modernism is already palpable in the layout,” says Bart Blancquaert of Hasa architects. “This allowed us to seamlessly integrate the new programme into the rational floor plan, whilst respecting the historic building.”