The Adaptation of Modern Housing Heritage: Authenticity and Integrity in the Case of Cité Modèle

The post-war social housing estate, Cité Modèle (Model City) in Laeken-Brussel (BE) was designed with CIAM principles in 1950s as a high-rise modern residential district where different types of dwellings integrated with car-free zones, wide green areas and various social facilities. Today it is an exceptional urban site in the history of modern architecture in Belgium. However, physical deterioration and socio-economic vulnerability necessitated the adaptation of the settlement in 2005, leading to the preparation of a masterplan which included a twelve-year of rehabilitation programme. Different types of interventions, both prior to this masterplan and in accordance with it, have led to changes in different attributes of this living heritage site. This paper aims to discuss the impacts of various conservation and adaptation strategies on the authenticity and integrity of the modern housing heritage, while considering expanding and questioning their definitions. The methodology includes literature review, field surveys, case study analyses, and comparative tabular evaluations to explore the dimensions of authenticity and integrity in modern housing heritage. The research on this case study has the potential to address a notable question in the literature on both architectural conservation and design based on the dialogue between continuity and change, and the re-interpretation of authenticity and integrity regarding a living modern heritage site.