— Project intent
A precise answer to the site and programme.
In Gembloux, in the province of Namur in Wallonia, STARC designed a vertical extension built above an existing volume, combined with a full transformation of the roofline profile. The project involves adding a new level onto a pre-existing structure, redefining the building's silhouette within its urban setting. The updated massing integrates coherently into the surrounding built fabric, entering into dialogue with the ridgelines and building heights of the immediate neighbourhood.
The modification of the roof profile is the central architectural gesture of the intervention: it unlocks habitable space at height while recomposing the facade and the exterior perception of the building. The vertical extension follows a logic of gentle densification, adding value to the existing built stock without consuming additional land, an approach particularly relevant in urban and peri-urban contexts.
The chosen design strategy favours continuity with the existing structure, in both volumetry and the materiality of the envelope, to ensure careful urban integration. Completed in 2024, this project demonstrates how ordinary built heritage can be transformed and optimised to gain a new functional value without breaking with its architectural identity.
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