Just outside the city center of Mechelen there is a modernist house from the 1950’s designed by Lucien Engels. The renovation of this beautiful house with city garden was done by dmvA. The modernist design language is a great quality of the building and was of course embraced during the renovation process. The goal of the renovation was to respect the existing design and even strengthen it with a few adaptations.
This house along the Leuvense Vaart in Mechelen never ceases to fascinate. A seemingly random play of asymmetrical concrete canopies opens and closes the façade, creating a pleasing impression of introverted openness.
A House with a consistent story
The dynamics created by the angled concrete canopies and the sophisticated positioning of the triangular storeys was an aesthetic necessity, designed in response to the environment in which the house was built. In this case, a narrow, deep plot with close proximity to neighbours, but also with an expansive view of the canal and the fields behind it. The concept of the house is the result of a creative process that takes all these parameters into account in a single, consistent story.
A few years ago, House of Lorraine was a decayed place, a grievance at the Grand Place in Mechelen.
dmvA was asked to transform this corner and thus revive the market and street scene.
In this project there was great importance attached to urban integration, with respect for the history of the building. For dmvA, high quality living was also the aim.
Site Apostolinnen is a project combination of new building, renovation and restoration. The client asked dmvA initially about the possibilities of the site where his bed factory was located. Based on an archaeological research, a non-binding master plan was made that divided the site in different housing units. In the middle of the site was the ‘Somerhuys’ (‘Summer house’), of which dmvA did the restoration as a first assignment. Later the entire master plan was taken into option by the client and dmvA became the engine behind the project ‘Site Apostolinnen’.
In the 20th century, the old convent site was transformed into a fully packed plot on which almost nothing of its original history was found. It was important for dmvA to bring back the genius loci of the site, and respect and recover its historical elements.
House TP is located in the working-class area in Mechelen. A single woman with green fingers bought there a little house next to the church and asked dmvA to reconstruct it.
The client had the desire to do urban farming, which is not evident in the center of the city. Moreover, the plot was fully built and the backside is oriented north, being in the shade of the house most of the time. A green spot behind the house seemed difficult due to the lack of sunlight. dmvA therefore decided to remove the rear of the building, except for one steel beam. The beam inspired them to add some extra beams and place a greenhouse on top. By making the greenhouse literally float, dmvA found a solution to the lack of light that ensured the patio to stay light and airy. The opening up of the parcel generates a beautiful view from the greenhouse or first floor, with the church as urban décor.
Since more than 130 years, ‘Hooghuys’ is part of the the site Lorette Convent, composed of different wings surrounded by the Drabstraat, the Begijnenstraat and the Graspoort. The city block of Lorette Convent is characterised by two outer spaces, a triangular large courtyard and a more rectangular like smaller space.
Since 1989 the site was abandoned. A vacancy of more than 20 years turned the site and the Hooghuys into a ruin.
Sports and recreation centre Nekkerpool (serving the province of Antwerp in Belgium) offers a range of indoor and outdoor activities, and the addition of a swimming pool to the programme will make the package even more complete. The architects challenge was to seize the opportunity to give the Nekker recreation centre as a whole a facelift, in addition to designing a modern and sustainable swimming pool. The site revolves around the new entrance area, where a pedestrian bridge makes the connection between the existing and new complex.
Program: New construction of swimming pool complex to be added to existing sports complex with competition pool, instruction pool, special needs pool, gallery, dining facilities, playground and free-standing entrance pavilion. Complete renovation of existing dining (including some new construction) and kitchen areas. New construction of outdoor space including recreational water elements.
Assignment: Construction management, PD, FD, specifications, working drawings, aesthetic management, main contracting, after-sales
Client: Province of Antwerp, Infrastructure Department
Team: Ton Venhoeven, Manfred Wansink, Maarten Bax, Jos-Willem van Oorschot, Gabriel Boutsema, Wouter de Haas, Niels Boswinkel, Eelco Bergman, Roland Herpel (more…)
Article source: dmvA architecten en Hlc.r architect
‘Hof van Busleyden’ consists of a complex of buildings, built out of brick and sandstone in replicating late-gothic style, around three external spaces: the small northern court-yard with pine trees, the central rectangular one, paved with cobblestones, and the south-oriented town garden. Since 1938 its function is the one of city museum. The building was protected as a monument.
A few years ago dmvA was requested to design an extension to an A-framed house in order to reconvert this holiday home into a comfortable, contemporary house.
This house is situated in a former recreation area and although municipality transformed this area into one with full residential use, one has to deal with specific building regulations.
The IJzerenleen is a well-known, broad street in the town centre, enclosed by the town hall and the River Dijle. The IJzerenleen is commonly known as the ‘Champs Elysées’ of Mechelen. It accommodates several famous commercial enterprises such as Windels, Damart, chemist shop ‘t Verguld Schaap and the famous cheese shop Schockaert and the former town hall houses a small museum.
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