The days when the sustainability of a construction project was a matter of ad hoc measures are over – sustainable construction has become systematic and specific. This was emphatically shown by the results of the Holcim Awards in region Europe: The first prize was shared by two projects in Brussels, both of which excel in terms of their multi-functionality.

Located in the ruins of an old monastery in the town of Otyn, the project for a center for behavioral addictions rehabilitation offers a valuable solution of how to address the desolate conditions of historical monuments that require care themselves. A timber structure encases the existing building in order to protect it from further degradation. Additionally, walls made of wood are inserted within the sequence of existing spaces to accommodate new functions where needed. Renewable resources are used by means of geothermal boreholes, heat pumps, and solar panels on the roof to heat the building in the winter. The tectonic quality of the filigree construction stands in dialectical tension with the heavy masonry of the monastery building, resulting a playful combination of the old and the new.

Ethical standards and social inclusion – People

The building houses health care facilities (the hospice, the pain treatment clinic and the behavioral addictions treatment center), residential space and the sacred space (monastery and shrine). The dying find their peace, addicted therapy (while serving infirm, working at the renovation, generating goods in the grange). They are supported by the families, medical staff and priests. Both the planned development of the site and the activities aiming at the restoration of the monastery are the factors which integrate the users of the building, the local community and positively affect the attractiveness of the region. This, consequently, leads to the process of revitalization of the immovables and the town, as well as greater identification of the residents with the location.