Court of Justice Antwerp opened officially, Antwerp (BE)

The renovated and restored courthouse of justice was officially opened last Monday. The original 1877 building in eclectic style by architect Lode Baeckelmans was protected as a monument in 1997 because of its artistic and historical value. Intensive use and many internal renovations made the building inadequate for contemporary use for judicial services. An integrated study and design for restoration and renovation took the spatial and functional logic for all users as a starting point. As a result, the original clear structure of the building became visible again. And naturally, the assignment also included contemporary user comfort, sustainability, and security. The re-introduction of daylight into the heart of the building and strategically placed contemporary interventions such as secure entrance pavilions, a peristylium in the courtyard, skylights, and phenomenal concrete staircases display subtle contemporary architectural design and engineering. Even more subtle are the complete overhaul of the upper floor into quality office spaces and the neatly arranged new vertical circulation cores that fit the historic layout with elegant discretion. Ney & Partners were both the consulting engineers for the renovation and new components and were part of the design team TVOGA (HUB – Origin – Bureau Bouwtechniek in association with RCR and Daidalos Peutz). Copyright image: Stijn  Bollaert