Address Brugge
Surface 20.000m²
Project description
BRUSK puts an end to the limited exhibition space Bruges had to deal with for several years. With BRUSK, there will be more space for exhibitions, but also for the preservation and research of art. The goal is to create an creative and artistic hub in the heart of the city and live up to the name of ‘the cultural city of Flanders’.
Budget 27.200.000 EUR
Project period 2023-2024
Delivery phase 2025
Final client CIT Blaton
Designers Robbrecht and Daem Architecten, Olivier Salens Architecten
MEP engineering SDKE
Sustainability Management: GRO, EPB
The project concerns a new museum and art site, located in the center of Bruges. This implies that the project is being realized within a Unesco World Heritage context. The project provides a structural, qualitative, and contemporary showcase for temporary exhibitions of museum masterpieces. This is achieved through a contemporary, qualitative and future-proof museum concept, linked to the use of the latest modern and sustainable techniques. The various requested functions of the program can function alongside each other and at the same time.
The integration of sustainability started from the vision level of the master plan. Here, three pillars of sustainability strongly determined the outline design. These were energy, materials, and functionality of the building. A symbiosis was sought in the project’s volumetry, by linking three aspects:
How can renewable energy production be integrated to a large extent (necessary to achieve energy neutrality), taking into account the heritage conditions that prohibit the view of traditional solar panels? How can the building be designed to allow natural daylight into the building so as to maximize its current function as a museum? How can flexibility be generated through the choice of materials for the structures that will allow the building to respond to the evolution of its functions beyond its current intended museum function?
This analysis led to a series of volume studies that were examined for the project. Ultimately, this led to two main volumes, the smaller of which has a flat roof, and the larger of which has a north-south oriented pitched roof. This saddle roof is constructed in such a way that it catches northern light on the one hand, and on the other hand, makes it possible to integrate BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) on the south side. The structure is conceived as an ’empty box’ so that the building can easily change its function.
