The project consists of a medical polyclinic with seven doctor’s offices (25 m2 each) and seven apartments.
THE SITE.
The generous plot is located in a residential area of Dinant, being surrounded by single-detached dwellings and a nature-dominated landscape.
THE PROGRAM
The building can be perceived as two clashing volumes that contain the separate functions of medical clinic and housing. The main challenge of the project was negotiating a relationship between the private and public spaces.
In order to reduce the apartments’ exposure to the public and lower building costs, we decided to add a second story for four of the seven apartments and to create a patio between them which allows daylight to reach the ground floor spaces.
Taking into consideration the site’s orientation, we chose to arrange the apartments on the southern side in order provide them with maximum sunlight, thus dedicating the northern side to the polyclinic’s spaces.
Our aim was to create an easily accesible patio and to offer each apartment a naturally lit terrace, so we positioned the housing units keeping these rules in mind.
We had to take into account the terrain’s configuration and adapt according to our needs. The volume plays with the site’s irregular topography.
The polyclinic is the main generating element of the project, so we had to give it as much visibility as possible. Therefore, we chose to rotate it toward the street. Its clearly defined linear volumetry ends in a cantilever that oversees the natural landscape, making the polyclinic stand out.
The access to the building was an important point of consideration. The blind wall facing the street creates a sense of intimacy for the apartments, and at the same time leads the public towards the polyclinic’s entrance.
