Atelier Kempe Thill has recently won the invited international competition for the transformation of Wintercircus Mahy in Ghent. The building that served as a circus building until the early 20th century and later as garage and showroom for the enormous old timer collection of car dealer G. Mahy will be transformed into a meeting-point and hotspot for creation and innovation. The new centre will house the ViAA (Flemish Institute for Archive of the audio-visual heritage), Luisterpunt – a library for blind people, i-Cubes – a centre for starting ICT – firms and, a new medium – size rock concert hall that will be constructed under the main atrium space. The renovation of the building is part of the transformation of the Waalse Krook-neighbourhood in the centre of Ghent together with the new library and living lab for new media that is already under construction.
Within the landscape surrounding the city of Mons, lies intermittent craggy piles of millstone which emerge through the panorama of a surrounding flat typography. This so called ‘terrils’ find their origins in the former mining industries and are commonly perceived as striking elements dotted within a flat panorama. Besides the landscape having been shaped through a number of linear infrastructures such as railways, highways and channelled waterways; the E19 and the service areas cut through the landscape to become geometric ribbons that visually demarcate the landscape.
Project: Tank Facilities, A Resting Place For All Road Users With Picnic Facilities, Children’s Playroom, General Sanitation, Shower Facilities For Truck Drivers, Shop And Restaurant, Additional Resto Stop Hensies
The location of Heverlee Delek creates an oasis in which the traveller/commuter can relax within a contemporary environment to refuel, shop and eat before continuing their journey. Starting from the E40; a strong infrastructure vein, fast traffic is refined and reduced until finally distilled into quieter parking spaces and picnic areas. These areas visually meander and flow into the surrounding landscape and beyond. Central to the idea of the plan is a pedestrian axis. This directs traffic to specific areas, solely dedicated for the purpose of rest and relaxation. This ‘walking-axis’ offers the possibility for users to experience the surroundings and to pleasantly reach the service station in safety.
The project was obtained by winning a competition called by the City of Mechelen.
The city council aimed the old Buso site to be developed as a high quality urban area, housing ten loft dwellings. The commission was entrusted to dmvA because they were the only architect office that took the ‘spirit of the factory’ as starting-point.
The narrow sloping and afforested site, south faced towards the Beukenlaan, is not that typical Flanders plot. In the past the neighbourhood seems to have been a residential recreation zone, where Belgians used to build their individual summer houses. When asked to build a new spacious residence on this particular site, AST77 was confronted with a bungalow and extension.
Article source: ROOM & ROOM Architecture and Urbanism
The meeting centre offers accommodation to various community activities. The complex of buildings consists of successive constructions, ranging from a 19th century school building and an old town hall to an industrial construction from the 1990s. The dilapidated storage building makes place for enlargement of the meeting hall. That way the back yard becomes an outdoor space for the party room. The gabled roof is replaced by a single slope roof, making the room and space higher, and bringing a better acoustic sound in the hall. The high windows bring light and give views on the nearby church. A central entrance in the armpit of the building complex offers the building an address. The entrance hall connects the different functions and spaces. The use of different types of bricks betray the successive renovations in the past. The new added walls in contemporary bricks build in the recent renovation strengthens the patchwork of different bricks.
Image Courtesy ROOM & ROOM Architecture and Urbanism
Article source: ROOM & ROOM Architecture and Urbanism
The building is accessible by a central binding public domain, the playground of the former school. By opening some windows further down we reinforce the relationship between interior spaces and this square. By doing the same at the other site of the building, the back area is activated as a green semi-public space linked with the meeting hall. The closed functions, the storeroom, the technical areas and the sanitary facilities are grouped in a partially extended volume. It is a rejuvenation of the building, where the recent sanitair extension gave rise to. This slider movement brings light in the heart of the meeting centre and gives more space at the central entrance hall. Internal windows overlook this hall and spread the light into the adjacent spaces. The other rooms have an open character, and can be used fully for the activities of the meeting centre : kitchen, meeting room, meeting hall and drawing Academy. The attic is elaborated for what is needed to use the building today. Further inside extension is still possible in the future.
Working in a historical context, of the continental Europe where the architecture of the past is still very much present, architects are often faced with the question of whether they should restore the physical or rehabilitate the conceptual. This question came to the fore in response to the combined decision of the city of Antwerp and the heritage committee to rehabilitate the historical Boekenberg Park in Deurne. Within the framework of a public-private partnership, the office OMGEVING was appointed to give shape to the new ambitions of the city.
Reflections on the Past and the Present in the Courtyard of Averbode Abbey
In the summer of 2012 the recently rejuvenated courtyard of Averbode Abbey has opened its doors inviting everyone to enjoy its centuries-old architecture and Baroque church standing at its heart. These impressive buildings are literally reflected in the grand water mirror calmly sitting at the centre of the square. The large film of water, which is only a few centimetres deep, not only provides an alternative view of the surrounding buildings, but also welcomes the visitor to rest beside it on a nearby bench and enjoy its tranquil character or even walk in it during those rare hot Belgian days. Averbode Abbey’s historical role is thus recreated in its own courtyard by bringing together people of all ages from around the region.
In our opinion architecture is not neutral, it takes a clear position. She moves, surprises and is beautiful. In the creation of good architecture, the role of the client is not to be underestimated. They have to choose the right architect for the realization of their dream. A client that has utter confidence in their architect, as was the case, allows us to push the project further than the direct materialization of the design brief. A critical dialogue between client and architect is an ideal breeding ground for a beautiful project.
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