Vorst - Rosas

The design assignment for the execution of a master vision including the execution of an extension of the infrastructure for Rosas, Ictus and P.A.R.T.S. in Forest was awarded to the joint venture OUEST / VERS.A.

The design of TV OUEST / VERS.A for the extension of the site of Rosas, Ictus and P.A.R.TS respects the historical logic of the site. The existing buildings continue to determine the first appearance of the site, and the present design primarily seeks to connect with the individuality of the existing spaces and their use.

The open space serves as a support for the programme. The entrance to the Van Volxemlaan opens up the existing, serene front garden, where the large red beech remains the main protagonist. As the terrain descends further, the garden becomes more intimate with dense plants. All functional pavements are organised at the extremities of the site.

Rosas, Ictus and P.A.R.T.S. need a clear place of their own but also space to come together, to talk, to stay. This way of living and working together, ‘living apart together’, forms the basis for the further expansion of the site. The design team therefore focuses on clear circulation and optimises the internal operation. The logistic operation between loading and unloading area and storage areas; between storage areas and studios, RPS (Rosas Performance Space) and rehearsal areas was elaborated in a well-considered way and is based on simple circulation patterns. The no-nonsense character of the central ‘Blanchisserie’ allows for an unconstrained reconversion of the spaces. The sunny south wing is furnished as a meeting place in the centre of the site with cafeteria, meeting rooms, kitchen and fitness. Ictus will have new rehearsal areas on the vacant northern side. Four new dance spaces for P.A.R.T.S. will be established alongside the existing RPS. The stacking of the studios results in a minimal footprint and leaves as much space as possible for the garden.

The Flemish Community is the owner of an artists’ campus on a 1 ha plot in Brussels (municipality of Vorst) which today is home to the dance company Rosas, the music ensemble Ictus and the dance school P.A.R.T.S. (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios). In order to support the growth of these three organizations, an extension of the infrastructure is being planned with dance and music studios, office spaces and logistical platforms.

Origin

While Rosas has been working in Brussels since 1983 (Schaarbeek, Molenbeek, Vorst), Ictus finds its source in projects with Rosas in the 1990s and P.A.R.T.S. opened its doors in 1995. The launch of the school was the occasion for Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, the artistic director of Rosas and founder of P.A.R.T.S., to look for a workplace with the potential to meet the needs of both the company and the school in the short and long term. From the start, De Keersmaeker invited Ictus to settle at the same address.

That workplace was found in Vorst, at Van Volxemlaan 164. The oldest parts of the building date from the late nineteenth century. The building was used at the time as a laundry (Blanchisserie Royale). In 1995 two branches of the multinational Westinghouse were housed in it, a production unit of brake installations for lorries (Wabco) and a storage facility for bathroom fittings (Ideal Standard). The site’s main features are the industrial sawtooth roofs of the workspaces and the formal façade of the main building. A stretch of grass extends at the front, with an impressive freestanding red beech, which is listed as a monument.

Acquisition and transformation

In May 1995 the entire site was acquired by De Nieuwe Werkhuizen NV, a plc set up specially for this purpose and which collected funds from the private sector at the initiative of Rosas director Kees Eijrond. The three users would from now on rent their infrastructure from the plc. On 16 August 1995 the building was put into use. Work on the conversion started immediately and was financed by the plc with means of its own, with a modest grant from the Flemish Community Commission in Brussels.

In a first phase (1995), the annex was converted into five dance studios for P.A.R.T.S. (148 to 240m2), with classrooms, a kitchen and a canteen. In a second phase (1997), the rear annex of the main building was transformed into two dance studios for Rosas (270m2), a workshop, offices and a rehearsal space for Ictus. In a third phase (2000), a new building was constructed: the 11m-high creation studio RPS, Rosas Performance Space (675m2), two smaller dance studios (192 and 216m2), and storage space. These conversions and new construction were designed and followed up by architectural engineer Paul Van Aerschot. The very tight budget compelled him to use an extremely functional architecture, with cheap materials and a brutalist finishing, such that traces of earlier activities and conversions were left visible.

Purchase by the Flemish Government

In 2008 the plc De Nieuwe Werkhuizen NV sold the site to the Flemish Community. Since then, the Cultural Infrastructure Fund has taken charge of the obligations related to this ownership. In a fourth (2013) and fifth phase (2019), the roofs of P.A.R.T.S. and Rosas were/will be renovated and the insulation of the buildings optimized. In the meantime, however, the growing activities of P.A.R.T.S., Ictus and Rosas have exceeded the possibilities that the existing 6.000m2 building surface area offer.

A new phase

In July 2018 the Flemish Government decided to allocate 5.5 million euro for a new construction on the site and appointed Rosas as principal.

• In the first place, that new construction is there to enable P.A.R.T.S. to organize its two-year advanced programme ‘Studios’ after its three-year bachelor programme ‘Training’. It is entirely focused on young makers and requires at least three new studios, with accompanying dressing rooms and bathroom facilities.
• For Ictus, which is increasingly developing multidisciplinary projects, a rehearsal studio can at last be provided for a large ensemble, easily accessible for the loading and unloading of instruments, plus a small studio and a piano studio. There will also be an entirely new office bloc that connects physically with the rehearsal rooms.
• For Rosas, the new construction will be limited to an extension of the storage space for sets and costumes.
• For the three organizations together, there will be a new common kitchen and dining room, preferably on a central location on the site. This will be literally and figuratively the meeting place for all users – staff, students, teachers, musicians, dancers. These spaces can serve in the evenings as a foyer, on condition that they are adjacent to the RPS hall. This hall will be equipped with a mobile stand, such that an important public function can be developed there.

A dance and music factory

Once the new construction is complete, ‘Van Volxemlaan 164’ will count no fewer than 15 dance and music studios. In addition there will be office spaces, adequate public facilities, a spacious caretaker residence and a wonderful garden. All this will be just a 10-minute tram ride from the Brussels South train station. What started out as a response to the artistic and pedagogic projects of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker will have grown into the headquarters of three autonomous, mature and very energetic cultural organizations: Rosas, Ictus and P.A.R.T.S. They pursue independent practices rooted in their background, but mutual collaboration is often sought out. The focus therefore lies constantly on creation and research. In the future, we will be able to receive the general public more often in our own theatre RPS, but the public will always have that feeling of visiting the artist at home: this is where they work, this is where everything has its source.

A workplace for and of artists

‘Van Volxemlaan 164’ is a place where people work. In its organization and formal language it is not looking for a grand gesture, nor dazzling architecture. It wishes to be a place that facilitates work, that presents itself modestly, that opts for sobriety, in line with the past conversions and the new construction. Light as well as physical and mental comfort are key. The building must create the conditions in which artists can work freely and with the necessary concentration. That holds for today and for later. It is a studio for Rosas, Ictus and P.A.R.T.S. in the year 2019, but not exclusively for them. Other artists will once work here, other choreographers, musicians and teachers. And we always hope that with this infrastructure we will make the most important possible contribution to these artists: the feeling of being at home here, where there is the right energy and where they can concentrate on the things that matter.

Selection criteria

1. Overall design-based expertise with regard to the project assignment;
2. Professional competence;
3. Relevant experience.

Allocation criteria

1. the quality of the concept and vision and of the research by design in light of the aims and expectations of the public principal as formulated in the specifications, and this:
   1.1    in a broad social context
   1.2    applied more functionally to the practical requirements of the user
2. process-orientation, deadline for completion, approach, phasing
3. the approach to sustainability
4. the estimate of the project cost and the cost management

The respective weighting of the allocation criteria is as follows: 4/2/2/2.

The weight of the subcriteria is 1.

The team BMA - Brussels Government Architect will oversee this project and is part of the selection and allocation committee.