17th house : Le Bois Marcelle

Constellations in association with Bois Marcelle Asbl

Since 1980, the non-profit organisation Bois Marcelle has been welcoming children with mental and developmental disorders to Marcinelle, in a wooded setting near Charleroi. This day centre currently supports 60 children, providing individualised and caring support.

A project in the spotlight: rebuilding L'Ancrage for autistic children.

Whilst some parts of the buildings are still in good condition, this is unfortunately not the case for the Ancrage section, which cares for 28 autistic children aged between 3 and 8. Most of these children do not speak, and they require intensive, structured and highly personalised support. Furthermore, a large proportion of these children come from families in precarious circumstances, and a number of children have been placed in the centre by the court.

The current buildings in this section are now very dilapidated and no longer meet reception or safety standards. Unlike other parts of the centre, a minor renovation is not feasible.

A complete reconstruction is necessary, at a cost of €2,600,000.

This new building will also create five additional places, providing an urgent response to the ever-growing waiting lists for this type of support.

A building designed for children with ASD

We are convinced that a well-designed space can transform the support provided. For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the environment plays a decisive role. Stress, crises and difficult behaviour often originate from everyday sensory elements: noise, bright lights, poorly defined spaces.

The architectural project therefore aims to create a soothing, structured and sensory-friendly environment, with meticulous attention paid to acoustics, natural light, ease of movement and clarity of spaces.

The building will accommodate four groups of seven children, each with:

a Zen space where they can retreat in complete safety,
a Snoezelen space that gently stimulates the senses,
a separate, calm and reassuring dining area,
a functional, safe and ergonomic kitchen and bathroom,
functional storage space to support the work of the teams,
and carefully designed acoustics to reduce anxiety-inducing echoes.

The project is progressing rapidly: the planning application has been approved and the tender specifications were finalised at the end of the year, after which they were submitted to the authorities. Approval from the authorities has been received and the tender process was launched in early April, with tenders due to be opened on 11 May. Positive outcome. The tender evaluation has been completed and the Bois Marcelle Board of Directors will appoint the successful contractor in the second week of June

87% of the necessary funding has already been raised. We are hoping for support from the NIF and the Besix Foundation. We have launched a major social media campaign and are reaching out to all the foundations we know to raise the remaining funds.

At Constellations, we believe in this project. We actively support it, convinced that the quality of care provided also depends on the quality of the location. Through our support, we hope to contribute to making this future building a true refuge offering safety to the most vulnerable children.