The new building volume is an appropriate response to its immediate surroundings and the associated preconditions. The plinth of the building alternates between open and closed, creating a playful interaction between inside and outside, without compromising the privacy of employees and visitors. The elevation adapts itself to its neighbours by taking into account the scale of the buildings on the one hand, and the view and interaction between all parties on the other. Along the Willem Deroolaan, for example, the structure is pulled away from the existing buildings and a narrow end wall is formed on the scale of the adjacent houses and the end wall of the school. The façade in the Sint-Sebastiaanstraat, in turn, is a response to the elongated façades of the school. The side of the elevation that faces the inner area and the gardens of the neighbours has a rather closed character and function. The duplicated façade therefore allows for an appropriate response to the different façades and situations within the same visual language and appearance.
The formal language, the volume and the materialisation are in dialogue with the existing heritage. The newly added architecture is contemporary and has the ambition to emanate the same top quality and sustainability as the heritage with which it is associated. In this way, we create added value and the future of the monument is assured in a high-quality and sustainable manner. When intervening in the monuments, we keep to a clear contemporary design line that has a formal analogy with the new administrative centre that is to be built.
client
City of Nieuwpoort
location
Nieuwpoort, Belgium
period
2020
procedure
Public competition
team
Lieven Achtergael, Sander Verhanneman, Dirk Liekens
i.c.w.
Patine Architecten (restauration), Tractebel Engie (landscape and engineering)