The Esseghem site in Jette comprises a complex of six buildings. Built between the 70s and 90s, they are arranged around a large public space. As part of the Magritte Sustainable Neighborhood Contract, a competition was won by Studio Paola Vigano for the complete redevelopment of the public spaces. It's now pali pali, Traumnovelle and TPF who have been appointed by Lojega to carry out a two-part feasibility study: on the one hand, the energy renovation of two apartment blocks, and on the other, the activation of the buildings' first floors. Faced with a social, fragile and sometimes precarious public, the ambition to thermally renovate a housing stock such as the Esseghem 1 and 2 buildings must take into account both present and future energy market conditions. In 2019, fuel poverty affected almost 28% of Brussels residents and 41% of social tenants (King Baudouin Foundation). A great deal of forward-looking research predicts that the cost of energy will increase while its availability will decrease. Without being alarmist, we need to take note of these developments and face up to them carefully and attentively.

"THE RESIDENT-FIRST APPROACH

This is why we have decided to put residents first in the considerations for the renovation of the Esseghem housing stock, to assert our determination to protect this public who will not be able to cope with rising energy costs. Developing a long-term vision is a proactive and balanced way to prepare for future energy crises, and even in their absence, to reinforce the energy independence of residents, and therefore their quality of life. The vision for this project is based on a key guiding principle: how can we use the ambition of thermal renovation of housing and the programming of ground floors to reinforce other criteria such as health and safety, comfort and pleasure of use, inclusion and the environment? What approaches, what pooling of resources, what approaches will enable us to significantly improve quality of life with the same budget?