RESERVOIR A

Architects: RESERVOIR A

Description: RESERVOIR A was founded in 2007 in Charleroi, at a pivotal moment in the city's history. In almost twenty years of existence, the firm has had the opportunity to question its practice, reinvent itself and broaden its horizons, both geographically and philosophically. However, this practice remains guided by one constant: providing simple architectural answers to complex questions. Regardless of the context or the resources available, the firm approaches architecture from a cultural and artistic perspective and strives for spatial and urbanistic quality.
Its mission is to improve living environments in a sustainable way by creating a meaningful experience for everyone. This translates into a search for rationality, and by extension timelessness, in its proposals. The aim is not to indulge in gratuitous gestures, but to design architecture that is calm and accessible. Without seeking to be ostentatious or grandiose, RESERVOIR A's architecture aims to have an impact on the living environment and bring about relevant and positive change to the environment.
This work is embodied in values, particularly that of integrity. This value is synonymous with transparency, responsibility and respect for commitments. It translates into careful attention to the environment and to both built and unbuilt heritage, listening to the needs of all users, and respecting budgets, deadlines and standards. The management of deadlines, costs and environmental aspects is therefore an integral part of the firm's working method, with continuous attention paid to the feasibility and sustainability of projects. This is done without compromising the authenticity of the spaces created.
RESERVOIR A is not afraid of its ambitions. The firm is an important player in the Belgian architectural landscape, due to the size of its teams, its capacity for work and the scale of some of its projects. Its ambition is to be able to design and carry out any project without compromising its values and vision. Maintaining these constants is non-negotiable: respect for the surrounding context, built or otherwise, adoption of simple, rational architecture, the search for a confident visual language, and an interest in community issues and the common good.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE
RESERVOIR A's practice is the result of the team that makes up the firm. It reflects the sought-after and appreciated diversity of profiles, interests and sensibilities. This complementarity is reflected in the wide variety of projects undertaken by RESERVOIR A. No subject is considered taboo, uninteresting or out of reach. The team takes ownership of all the programmes that make up its environment.
As a result, the firm's portfolio includes both public and private projects, housing and facilities, ranging in scale from urban planning to interior design. When conditions allow, RESERVOIR A aims to offer ‘total’ projects, where no stage or scale of intervention has been neglected: from urban integration to finishing touches. The common thread linking all the programmes handled by the firm is the challenge of community, the desire to produce architecture that transcends individuality.
In order to be able to design such diverse projects with confidence, RESERVOIR A maintains its capacity for cooperation to the maximum. It is obvious that the strength of the team is key to guaranteeing high-quality projects. This applies both internally within the firm and with partners, clients and collaborators. The aim is to foster trust, synergy and solidarity in order to achieve the best possible results. RESERVOIR A regularly positions itself as a team builder, with a strong awareness that architecture is not a practice that can be done alone. When necessary or beneficial, the firm seeks to surround itself with expertise that complements its own: urban planning, technical, landscaping, but also sensitive and artistic. Questioning and confronting ideas with other perspectives are considered healthy. Through these methods, the teams formed create new synergies and go beyond the simple addition of knowledge and references.
As the firm has its origins in the Charleroi area, its practice is intrinsically linked to this field of exploration. Beyond a detailed understanding of the challenges, issues and opportunities of this city, RESERVOIR A has always tackled urban contexts, not limited to the city of Charleroi alone, that are perceived as harsh or chaotic. Architectural quality is present but discreet. The architects' ability to find beauty in these environments, to appreciate and care for them, extends to many cities and places undergoing change.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
In almost twenty years of practice, RESERVOIR A has distinguished itself in numerous projects in Charleroi, as well as in other Walloon cities and Brussels. Certain projects crystallise the emergence of new challenges in the firm's thinking, access to new scales or the architectural fulfilment of ambitions nurtured since its creation.
The Charleroi urban distribution centre is one of the firm's first key achievements. It is located in a particularly challenging context: between the Charleroi ring road and the railway tracks. This project reflects a desire to overcome these urban constraints and to respond with a strong architectural identity.
The renovation of the Marcinelle aquatic centre represents a moment of calm and concentration of the firm's energy, favouring a form of simplicity. Despite the scale of this project, the solutions were found through close dialogue with the surrounding landscape, without compromising the identity of the whole.
The Grand Hôpital de Charleroi crystallises a turning point and a significant leap in scale for the firm: both in terms of the project, which is the largest undertaken by RESERVOIR A to date, and in terms of the team, which had to be reinforced to carry out a project of this magnitude. This project was an opportunity to tackle new technical and spatial constraints, but also to bring a fresh and less formulaic perspective to hospital architecture.
On another note, the renovation of the Charleroi Ring Road, coupled with an artistic intervention carried out in collaboration with visual artist Jean Glibert, is another fundamental achievement for the firm. It was an opportunity to explore these unloved elements of the urban landscape in greater depth. As an essential part of Charleroi's infrastructure, the ring road has been given a new status and has reconnected with the city and its neighbourhoods thanks to the care taken in its renovation.
During the creation of the Espace Winson in Fosses-la-Ville, RESERVOIR A was able to apply its desire to offer a “total work of art”. Architecture meets other subjects: landscape initially, but also interior design, art, signage, etc. The proposal aims to be radical, while favouring very simple architectural expression and materials.
Eden involves the renovation of a school to house an artistic creation centre in the heart of Charleroi. The project, carried out in several phases, rethinks the interiors with finesse and establishes a precise dialogue between the existing structure and contemporary interventions.
Through two office building projects in the heart of Charleroi, the architects were able to explore an approach that aims for a form of timelessness, almost classicism. The Dockin and SWCS headquarters buildings have strong identities and are both part of already established urban contexts. These projects were approached as missing pieces of a puzzle. Without falling into mimicry, they strike a balance between recognisable identity and a generic dimension, where materiality takes on its full meaning.
The firm also explores other scales. The Lemmens project in Anderlecht consists of renovating a garage into a small community centre. The emphasis here was on fine workmanship in furniture, textiles, lighting and colour.
The Eco-Technologies Centre at the University of Mons embodies the firm's growing commitment to energy transition. Strategically located on the edge of the campus, the project combines architectural rigour, formal sobriety and high environmental performance. It meets the six DNSH objectives and explores concrete strategies for decarbonising construction.
Finally, one of the most impactful and emotionally charged projects is the memorial garden in Marcinelle. The collective dimension of this work was an essential element and a guarantee of the project's quality. Designed by several people: the Bouwmeester team, a landscape architect and an artist, this development aims to convey a sense of empathy and concern in the heart of the city.
RESERVOIR A is currently working on a number of exciting projects, combining different programmes, scales and architectural and urban planning challenges: socio-cultural projects such as the Maison des Solidarités in Comines and the Maison de la Poésie in Amay, the renovation of the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and completely new programmes such as the construction of the Aerospacelab factory in Marcinelle, as well as high-rise projects such as the Horizon Tower and object design, reflecting the constant expansion of the fields explored by the firm.
Creation: 2007
Associates: Julien DAILLY
Cédric LODEWICKX
Maguy MALENGREZ
Noémie NAVARRO
Margaux DARRAS
Collaborators: Zoran CARUSO
Thomas CLÉDA
Tybo CROQUEFER
Stéphanie DECONNINCK
Vincent de GRAVE
Elena FERNÀNDEZ ARCONES
Marine GASPARIAN
Marie GILLISSEN
Maciej KOWALCZYK
Azélie LOUARN
Virginie MATHIEU
François MAURIN
Florian MICHEL
Louise MOMMEN
Ruddy PICARD
François RAUSCH
Simon RIMAC
Ludovic WARNIMONT
HsinTing WU
Publications: Réservoir A primé aux Bricks in architecture Awards 2025
Pastille vidéo : Focus sur Réservoir A