S333’s Belgian win paves way for new work

www.stonexp.com  2011-12-14 09:15:30  Popularity Index:0  Source:Internet

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S333 has won its first project in Belgium, an £18 million residential scheme which it hopes will be the start of a new pipeline of work.

The practice, founded in the Netherlands but now based in London, has been entering government housing competitions in Belgium for about three years but has never been shortlisted before.

It was invited to submit its portfolio by the state architect, which effectively put it on a framework.

Director Dominic Papa said: “Hopefully this win will prove to the people within the system — who already know and like our portfolio — that we can operate in Belgium.

“It’s an important piece of work for us and we’re doing everything we can to make sure this is the start of something rather than just a competition win.”

He praised the Belgian procurement system which only requires competing architects to submit a 900-character written application. Five finalists are selected and paid an honorarium to produce designs.

“It’s a very smart procurement process,” said Papa. “In the UK you’d have 12 teams spending £100,000 getting nowhere.”

The 17,500sq m project in Paspoel, a suburb of the city of Tongeren, involves replacing three ageing eight-storey blocks with 192 new apartments and villas built around communalgardens.

The scheme is constrained by the city’s Roman archaeology so will be built on the existing footprint.

S333 beat two Belgian practices, Bureau Bruggink and NFA Offices, and two Dutch practices, Met Zicht op Zee and Van Gameren.