The history of the loft
72a rue de la Poudriere consists of an industrial building which dates back to the early 1950s which was next to a small dead end street of small houses (Impasse de l'Écluse). In 1963, this dead-end street and its houses disappeared in favor of an extension of the industrial building. In 2005, the building was sold and converted into an office building and 8 residential lofts.
The area
The lead chimney is an industrial history monument, unique for Belgium and very rare in Europe. It was built around 1885 and was part of the Pelgrims et Brombeeck Foundry, which existed at the corner of rue de la Poudriere and rue des Fabriques. Bullets were made for hunting until 1940 by liquid metal dropping from the top of the chimney through calibrated holes into a cold liquid at the base of the chimney. In 1984 the tower was officially classified as a monument. On the corner of the street is a first electricity power station for the city of Brussels. At night it the tower and the nearby power station are illuminated by floodlights.
In the nineteenth century the area around the canal was heavily industrialised and was known as 'little manchester' because of the red-brick factories, breweries and warehouses. The nearby Port de Ninove has two custom houses which were the entrance to the city where people paid taxes to enter the city of Brussels with their goods.
The project
The goal was to create a modern, luxurious loft while using the most environmental sustainable materials and technologies possible. The space is 174 square metres on the second and top floor with windows at the front and back of the building. There is also a roof terrace of 55 square metres. The view from the loft itself and the roof terrace are stunning, looking across the roofs of Brussels. The Basilique, Palais de Justice and Cathedral are visible.
