Rogier Hip-Hop House

Hip-hop school in a former synagogue

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Rogier Hip-Hop House

Hip-hop school in a former synagogue

Year: 2021

Status: Competition

Program: Socio-cultural equipment

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Budget: 1.035.000 exc. VAT

Surface: 750 m²

Client: Renovas

Stability: JZH & Partners

HVAC: JZH & Partners

Energy: JZH & Partners

Acoustics: Kahle Acoustics

Theatre techniques: Artsceno

A project about how to convert a former synagogue into a hip-hop school. After having hosted an orthodox community for some decades, the abandoned building was recently acquired by the municipality of Schaerbeek to transform the synagogue into a socio-cultural equipment. In a very dense urban context, the hip hop school is aimed to give young people from this fragile and/but vivid neighborhood a place to contribute positively to society and culture, trough the different aspects of the Hip-hop world. Our proposal aimed to keep both the qualities of the existing and both open itself more generously to the city, the neighbors. Towards the inside, an exercise of “editing” the dramaturgy of religious space and convert it for a new kind of community feeling and users. From the underground to the activated roof, a space for dance, slam, graffiti, dj battles and other formats.