Casernes

Project: Casernes
Architect: Atelier d’architecture Matador

Programme: Residential buildings (126 units) with retail/office spaces (7), parking and public spaces.

About: The project concerns the urban revitalisation of the Caserne Léopold district, introducing residential buildings, services, offices and hospitality uses, together with parking facilities, shared private gardens and public spaces.

The Caserne Léopold block, and the area to be developed within it, is the largest site still available within the historic city walls. It represents a final opportunity to introduce a complementary urban reference capable of enhancing the quality of the city.

The project therefore addresses two major challenges: “Making the City”, by strengthening its urban structures through the intervention, while creating the conditions for “Living Here in Mons”.

To achieve this, the project forms two “closed” urban blocks whose identity is defined by the continuity of the built fabric. A long linear building completes the perimeter initiated by the neighbouring buildings and refers to the scale of the original block, while a smaller monolithic building stitches together the two distinct entities formed by the Courts of Justice and the Théâtre du Manège.

This layout creates two clearly defined public spaces: two squares, one predominantly landscaped and the other mineral. The site's topography is resolved at the focal point where the space narrows, articulating these two public spaces. This approach informs the architectural strategies developed throughout the project, reinforcing the intended symbiotic relationship between architecture and the urban fabric.