The client for Mobilis Automotive Building is a car import and dealer company that is fully aware of the deep change and uncertainty the automotive sector will be facing. To put it mildly, electric cars need less maintenance, showrooms are being replaced by websites, and the sharing economy is taking over ownership in favor of mobility as a service.
© Maxime Delvaux
Despite this, a very large car workshop and showrooms for different brands are still part of the program, as are a series of productive spaces that will complement the nature of this dynamic neighborhood situated along the Brussels Canal.
© Maxime Delvaux
What is needed here is not so much a building that can be endlessly adapted to new uses, but a structure that can accommodate any activity; a building type in which landscape, urban density, logistics, and architecture merge into one is therefore proposed.
STRUCTURE PLAN
On the inside is a rational, high-load bearing concrete structure with 16.2-meter floor spans and a height of 7 meters to which, if needed, intermediate steel floors can be hung. On the outside, on the other hand, the sturdiness of the structure is balanced out by the curvy, transparent façades (glass on the south-east side, steel cables and mesh on the north-west side) resulting from the movements of cars and trucks on site, the bending of the main road and the amorphous boundary of the plot. A series of patios and atriums ultimately pierce the large volume, providing the space and quiet that are lacking on the outside.
Project Info:
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Architects: XDGA
- Country: Anderlecht, Belgium
- Area: 27821 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs: Maxime Delvaux, Marco Cappelletti
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Manufacturers: Electro80, Heleblitz, Interspan, Polypane Glasindustrie NV, Ready Beton, Schüco
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Facade Contractors: Hegge
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Excavation: Aclagro
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HVAC: Imtech
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Geothermal Engineer: Smet
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Facade Cladding: MSB
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial