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Client(s)DCA Woonprojecten
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Construction siteBerchem
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Project architectSteven De Paepe
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Architect teamLoes De Keyzer, Tommaso Ascoli, Aaron Roose
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Interior teamKenn Van Overveld
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Main contractorDCA
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Year2021-
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StatusDesign
Seen from the Grotesteenweg, the site occupies the far corner of Fruithoflaan, at the edge of Mortsel where the avenue is abruptly cut by the railway and its intended continuation into Zilverbeeklaan was never realized. Fruithoflaan itself is strongly defined by the modernist urban fabric of the 1950s and 60s: horizontal façades with full-width terraces, once in tinted glass, now often clear, framed by generous greenery with mature trees and landscaped intervals between apartment blocks.
The new volume positions itself as a visible endpoint of the avenue. By shifting the building forward and tapering its form towards Fruithoflaan and Roderveldlaan, the distinction between front, rear, and side façades disappears. This creates multiple orientations, long views, and equal access to generous outdoor spaces for nearly all apartments, with smaller units along Roderveldlaan compensated by their more open sightlines.
Materiality reinforces this balance between solidity and lightness. Warm grey fair-faced concrete defines the base, terraces, and horizontal bands, complemented by nuanced sand-colored brickwork in stack bond and light bronze profiled metal panels. Projecting piers articulate rhythm between the windows, while architectural concrete at ground level grounds the volume in its context. The horizontality continues seamlessly into the terraces, recalling the modernist language of Fruithoflaan.
The terraces vary across the height: façade-wide on the lower four levels, segmented from the fifth floor upwards, with further articulation at the ninth. This gradual shift lightens the volume as it rises, while ensuring privacy through integrated planters instead of dividing screens. Vertical flat-bar railings, bronze-finished steel balustrades, and aluminum joinery with a light bronze powder coat further refine the architectural expression. Full-height windows without terraces are secured by glass balustrades, while selected closed sections are finished in drawn steel.
At lower levels, privacy is achieved with bronze-finished drawn steel screens; higher up, planters with green screens create natural divisions. Together, these details shape a building that both resonates with the modernist heritage of Fruithoflaan and defines a contemporary, cohesive endpoint for the avenue.
