Reconversion

The new Greenpeace Belgium HQ is located in a dense building block in the city centre of Brussels. The existing structures used to belong to an old organ atelier, called Manufacture d’Orgues de Bruxelles. To uncover the qualities of the factory building, a process of ‘matchmaking’ resulted in an innovative approach towards the programming of the new offices: the existing structures as well as the interior and surrounding climates were analysed and matched with specific activities from the Greenpeace team (from formal meetings to wall climbing), resulting in a low-tech project and a high-quality work environment. Stijn Bollaert SufficiencyWe made a careful study of the site at the Vergotedok, located in the rapidly ev... More

Originally, the building was conceived as two entities; a production space on the ground floor and an owner's flat on the first floor with a private access. The ground floor has had multiple functions throughout the years; from meat processing to car shop. The Antwerp neighbourhood has evolved more towards residential in recent years, so converting the ground floor to living functions was a logical intervention. Philippe Corthout Caption The former industrial gate was replaced to allows natural light to enter from the street side. For this, we designed a gate with plastic grilles fitted in steel frames that were placed on guides. These ensure privacy and match the yellow brick of the facade. On the ground floor, we organised the... More

The former post office site in Aalst was a mixture of industrial buildings of the former ‘Filature du Canal’. The “Filatures & Urban Fabric(s): Masterplan stationsomgeving Aalst” masterplan, designed by the Christian Kieckens Architects, started from a site conversion, whilst keeping the main building of the former mill in the Manchester building along the Vaartstraat. The modifications to this building have been kept to a minimum because of organizational and programmatic interpretation, which corresponds with the scale of the building. The facades have been cleaned and re-pointed and equipped with new outside joinery work after its historical model. The building has been renovated on the inside also, in order for it to comply with current... More