flanders opera

During the year 2003, VK realised a thorough audit of the existing technical installations in this listed building opera building. This research presented 2 conclusions: the existing facilities no longer met the current fire and safety regulations. Furthermore, the existing facilities could not ensure the comfort a present day opera visitor expects from an opera house.

As a result, it was decided to renew all technical install...

concert hall

In 2002, Bruges was Cultural Capital of Europe. To crown that particular year, the Flemish Government decided to build an iconic concert hall in the historic city of Bruges.

The main building consists of a superstructure with several floors, containing the stage tower, the main concert hall, rehearsal rooms, offices, dressing rooms and ?the areas for technical support. A lantern tower was constructed on the front façade...

entrepot

The Entrepot, a new party and concert hall, offers the youth of Bruges and the surrounding area their very own meeting place, after having asked for one for many years. The youth centre was housed in the former warehouses of the city of Bruges.

The building contains 3 floors, one of which is a semi-basement. The original design used the ground floor as party hall, but the height was limited and a number of bearing columns hindered ...

hotel relais ravestein

In 2004, Hotel Relais Ravestein opened its doors as the first four star hotel in Bruges. The hotel was built in a historic building, popularly called the Ravestein Court. Ravestein court dates back to the 15th century, and was visited by, among others Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. The present building dates back to the 18th century and was thoroughly renovated in order to provide the necessary hotel services, however while p...

cora shopping centre

The existing shopping centre was expanded with 3,200 of shops, restaurants and a cafeteria. The new arcade was built on top of a parking lot, which then became a covered parking garage. Structurally, the expansion consists of a mix of reinforced concrete and glass areas. The reinforced concrete repeats the rhythm of the existing shop fronts and supports the awnings above the existing inclined planes. The commercial activities of the sh...

sports club and spa royal la rasante

Royal La Rasante is an exclusive sports club and spa with a lively history. Founded in 1902, the club closed its doors in 1997, only to be rebuilt in 2001. The project contains several fitness studios for aerobics, spinning and yoga, and a large fitness hall. The wet area consists of 2 swimming pools - a training pool and a leisure pool - with steam baths, saunas and shower rooms. Outside, there are 9 tennis courts, 2 hockey fields and a...

square congress centre

The former "Brussels Palace of Congress" was built on the occasion of the World Fair of 1958. The building is located partly under the Mont des Arts and houses authentic mural paintings by Magritte, and Delvaux. When it became necessary to remove asbestos from the old Palace of Congress, it was decided to renovate the entire building. VK was commissioned to take care of the structural engineering.

Firstly, the congre...

national theatre

Founded in 1945, the National Theatre was designed to francophone culture. After wandering around through different locations in Brussels, in 1994, the French Community opted for a building in the centre. In 1999 the building was turned into a temple of contemporary culture. VK provided building services engineering for the designs.

The theatre building has two halls with 800 and 250 seats, rehearsal rooms, a public foyer, box...

wiels art centre

The former Wielemans-Ceuppens brewery, a protected monument site, has been given a new identity. Thus, a portion of the site is occupied by the Van Volxem office project. The brewery itself, a modernist building from 1930, was transformed into the Wiels Centre for Contemporary Art. VK carried out the structural engineering of this restoration project.

The restoration took place in 2 phases. First the exterior was tackled with ...

arteveldestadium

A new stadium has been planned outside the city and near some major traffic arteries for the football team KAA Ghent. It will be part of a site for mixed use, with shops, offices and a hotel.

In addition to the football field and the stands, the stadium will have all the necessary amenities: players’ facilities, clinics, fire and police control posts, and offices. Public services such as health, retail and catering busin...