2014 - 2015 Gent

Abscis Architecten - Store front old and new style - photography Dennis De Smet

Two historical retail properties at a unique location in the heart of Gent (Korenmarkt) are revived with a mixed project that combines retail and residences. It was the perfect opportunity to optimise the retail space as well as to redevelop the vacant upper floors with their authentic interiors and stunning city views, into apartments. Combining renovation with new construction, the two corner premises are merged into one project: a spacious two-level shop and five apartments centred around a communal patio on the upper floors.

Abscis Architecten - Overall view - contemporary architecture in a historical context - photography Dennis De Smet

Overall view - contemporary architecture in a historical context - photography Dennis De Smet

Abscis Architecten -  Detail screen façade overlooking St Nicholas' Church - photography Dennis De Smet

Detail screen façade overlooking St Nicholas' Church - photography Dennis De Smet

The fascinating mix of old and new, and shopping and housing, is what makes this a successful and uncompromised project.

Curious to see what we can do for you?

Contact us
Abscis Architecten - Communal roof terrace viewing the Korenmarkt - photography Dennis De Smet

Communal roof terrace viewing the Korenmarkt - photography Dennis De Smet

The revaluation of the neo-gothic corner turreted house from 1885 is the point of departure in the design. The façades and the interior, as well as the spatial layout of the residential parts, are kept in their current form and attest to the historic transformations of the building. The addition of three modern zinc dormer windows, subtly reveals the new residential function of the attic space.

The adjacent premises at Van Stopenberghestraat are replaced by a new functional volume with supporting functions for the main building at Veldstraat (i.e. circulation, storage, technical installations, and terraces). The façade in white architectonic concrete and glass functions as the new wall facing the square of the ‘Kleine Korenmarkt’ and provides a contemporary answer to the historical context. Here the various functions – shopping, residential, outdoor space – hide behind a transparent ‘screen’ of slender concrete columns, referring in composition and rhythm to the original building layout and the pronounced verticality of the historic buildings.

In Schuurkenstraat the harmonic whole of red brick ‘alley facades’ is preserved in its materialisation and architectural design. Over a layer of old windows, balconies and chimneys, new window openings and a zinc roof volume are added, which contrast clearly in material and typology with the historical elements.

The fascinating mix of old and new, and shopping and housing, is what makes this a successful and uncompromised project. Thanks to its location, its spatial quality, and its architectural character, this development will revive the street’s vacant and dilapidated upper floor spaces, and make housing there attractive once again, both for the shopkeepers and for the future residents.

Abscis Architecten - White screen façade as new square wall - photography Dennis De Smet

White screen façade as new square wall - photography Dennis De Smet

Abscis Architecten - View from the Jan Van Stopenberghestraat - a building with three faces: historical, contemporary and layered - Photography Dennis De Smet

View from the Jan Van Stopenberghestraat - a building with three faces: historical, contemporary and layered - Photography Dennis De Smet

Curious to see what we can do for you?

Contact us
Abscis Architecten - Open retail space on two levels - photography Dennis De Smet

Open retail space on two levels - photography Dennis De Smet

Abscis Architecten - Corner Schuurkenstraat - Jan Van Stopenberghestraat - meeting of two facade concepts - photography Dennis De Smet

Corner Schuurkenstraat - Jan Van Stopenberghestraat - meeting of two facade concepts - photography Dennis De Smet

Abscis Architecten - Facade detail Schuurkenstraat - detail layered façade concept - photography Dennis De Smet

Facade detail Schuurkenstraat - detail layered façade concept - photography Dennis De Smet

Share