Rabelais

The site of the Rabelais school in the centre of Ixelles (Belgium), will soon undergo a major renovation as part of a public procurement contract organised by the municipality of Ixelles. 

CIT Blaton will be involved in the project over a period of three years and in association with Wust. The goal? Build a brand new school infrastructure (primary and secondary), sports facilities, as well as a crèche and housing. 

The site is characterised by 'neoclassical' style school buildings facing the street. Those buildings will be entirely renovated and turned into a new secondary school covering a surface area of over 5,000 m². A listed covered hall will be restored and a lobby topped by a glass roof will be fitted out to facilitate circulation between the buildings. The primary school, still in operation, will temporarily move to the newly renovated wings pending the demolition-reconstruction of their 3,000 m² building. 

A 1,000 m² building accommodating eight apartments will be built to on a currently vacant plot. On the other side, a second building will also be built to house a crèche and a gym. The contract includes the coordination of two other lots: joinery and built-in furniture. 

Upon completion of construction in 2026, the Rabelais school campus will be born again!

On 21 March 2024, CIT Blaton won the RENOLAB.B prize awarded by Renolution for the reuse of materials and training in heritage restoration.