Archipelago Transforms Brutalist Post Office in Belgium into Learning Centre

Local architecture studio Archipelago has repurposed a former brutalist post office in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, into a learning centre for the Centre d’enseignement supérieur en Brabant wallon (CPFB). This educational institution, associated with the University of Louvain, focuses on social development. The renovation project aimed to restore the building’s original architectural qualities while providing a modern, functional space for collaborative learning.

The post office, originally designed by André Jacqman, had undergone several alterations over the years that obscured its original design. Archipelago’s approach sought to reverse these changes, stripping back the over-compartmentalized interior to reveal the spacious, luminous qualities of the structure. According to project architect Sophie Laborde, the first task was to “strip the building bare” and recover materials like concrete and brick, restoring the building to its original condition as much as possible while introducing the necessary technological and thermal improvements.

The design concept for CPFB focused on creating a “stimulating and collaborative learning space.” Flexible, multi-purpose areas were key to this vision, allowing the building to adapt to various learning methods. Upon entering, visitors encounter a shared social area on the ground floor, leading to work alcoves and larger rooms that open onto the adjacent square. The upper floors house collaboration areas, auditoriums, administrative offices, meeting rooms, and a recording studio, all designed for fluid functionality.

Archipelago retained the exposed board-marked concrete and brickwork finishes of the original structure, complemented by modern interventions such as wood-framed glass partitions, vibrant flooring, and exposed ventilation and lighting. The use of contrasting colors, such as a yellow staircase against the red brick walls, breathes new life into the space.

This transformation aligns with broader architectural trends in Belgium, which increasingly revalue modernist structures by removing unsympathetic extensions and alterations, as seen in Mamout’s recent renovation of a 1960s home in Hoeilaart.

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