Startup village, Antwerp (B).
Incubator at the Botanical Garden.
StartUp Village encompasses the renovation and conversion of a historic ‘hôtel de ville’ and a former school building into facilities for scale-ups. Both buildings are preserved for their heritage value. The lion’s share of the programme consists of office space and meeting rooms.
In the courtyard, where the historic Botanical Gardens are also located, the former school has been renovated with a minimum of resources and adapted to the new programme. The original room layout was decisive in this process. The existing stairwells have been complemented by the addition of a lift, sanitary facilities, kitchenettes and communal meeting rooms. All newly applied materials are in their colour, texture and detailing, a contemporary reference to their historic counterparts.
In the Town Hall, adjacent to the street, more significant interventions were necessary. The objective was to preserve the original layout and, where necessary, restore it, but also to enhance circulation, integrate modern technologies and improve firesafety.
The first major intervention took place at the level of the former gate complex between the main building and the outbuilding. This space – which had been all but completely closed off over the centuries – was completely “cleaned up” and its original function as a communal passageway to the inner area and former school was restored. A light and elegant staircase has been integrated within the passageway, connecting the various levels of the main building and the outbuilding. The second major intervention concerns the restoration of the interiors of the main floor and all exterior façades. The main or “noble” floor retains its historic function as a reception and meeting space. The third intervention involves the virtually invisible integration of the ventilation equipment and other measures designed to improve acoustics and fire safety.
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