In a working class neigbourhood of Ghent, against the backdrop of nearby blocks of high-rise flats, Robbrecht en Daem converted an existing timber yard into new architectural studios. The roof of the shed, built by the wood construction company De Coene in the early seventies, was partially dismantled. What used to be the work floor has become an outdoor space that accommodates an arboretum fringed with wild grasses, a swimming pool, bicycle... Read more

This corner building houses an exhibition and event space for Katoen Natie, combined with residential units above. The project is situated adjacent to the company headquarters. The headquarters - which consists of several former port warehouses - was previously renovated by Robbrecht en Daem architecten. The new project visually relates to it as a sort of continuation of the earlier work. The choice of a concrete façade and an aligned cornice... Read more

‘No space, architecturally, is a space unless it has natural light.’ - Louis Kahn On a site on the Garenmarkt, next to the Groeningemuseum, a new exhibition hall will be erected by the end of 2024 that will house two museum spaces and opens out onto a new park. The exhibition areas will be constructed at a raised level and will be separated from each other by a public passageway (Scala Grande), so that an open, transparent and freely... Read more

The open landscape of the IJzerbroeken, which surrounds the site of the Knokkebrug, inspires passers-by to dream of a higher outlook from which to view the area. The realisation of a watchtower on this spot is an excellent opportunity to expose the strength of the site. The Friendly Tower is a strong, autonomous, pentagonal figure that provides insight from a height into the historical, geometric figures of the environment, to which the... Read more

3 Fonteinen is a traditional lambic and gueuze brewery with a long history dating back to 1887. It is known for its adherence to heritage, honest production methods and the place it has held for years in the top 50 best breweries in the world.Today, the brewery is located 'on top of the mountain' in the village centre of Beersel, while the wooden casks are located 'down below' in Lot, next to the Senne. It is in this latter location that 3... Read more

The reconstruction of the Zuidboulevard in Waregem ensures a thorough renovation of the city. The Zuidboulevard is the new gateway to the city and connects the cultural centre De Schakel, the city hall and the new library with each other. Instead of being a cul-de-sac, this renewed boulevard is a turning point, a climax for the previously interrupted loop for shopping, walking and cycling. This transforms the site into an easily navigable place... Read more

With the Bozar Café, Robbrecht en Daem architecten aimed to create a world in all modesty, a kind of microcosm or universe. To give the visitor an experience. A returning aspect in the interiors of the café, the book shop and the box office are the 'circles' - like the form of chandeliers and mirrors - that generate a 'kind of planetarium with sunsets and sunrises'. The choice of materials, such as the dark green granite and leather benches,... Read more

The volume for the State Archives, located in the city center, is meticulously matched to the scale of the surrounding buildings. The sturdy corner building respects the pattern of the street onto which it fronts, while the long horizontal volume behind adheres to the cornice height of the surrounding streets and alleys. At the end of the horizontal wing, the facade is set back from the plot boundary. This makes space available for a small public... Read more

In the new clubhouse for the Winge Golf and Country Club, the relationship between inside and outside is crucial, as is the merging of the functional and the scenic. The white building envelops the entire environment, like a warm white blanket over the gently sloping terrain. Two separate building volumes are connected by a continuously sloping concrete roof, accommodating all practical functions such as tee-off and practice rooms on the one hand... Read more

Ann Demeulemeester’s flagship store is in a corner building on Leopold De Waelplaats in Antwerp – the square to which the fashion designer contributed with a circular bench. The building is part of a prestigious row of houses and looks like an upper-middle-class house, but was designed and is used as a workshop. During the redesign, the ground floor was cleared, although the workplace character was preserved: the rough wooden floors, the iron... Read more

The Greenwich café is an iconic Grand Café in the centre of Brussels. Following discussions with the Royal Commission of Monuments and Landscapes of the District of Brussels, a Building Permit was obtained for the restoration of this listed building which was placed on the List of Buildings of Remarkable Architectural Heritage in 2000.The ground floor façade, the stained glass cupola above the Winter Garden, and the remarkable interiors of the... Read more

Two new projection halls for the internationally acclaimed Royal Belgian Film Archives have been installed into the excavated volume under Victor Horta’s Centre for Fine Arts. This intervention has made it possible for the ‘Salles des Arts Décoratifs’ to be restored, as defined in the master plan for the restoration of the building. Cinematek’s prominent collection of historical film apparatus is displayed in a Wunderkammer, a free... Read more

Refurbishment of the entrance hall and auditorium in the Royal Museum for Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA). This included the reception desk, benches, signalisation in the entrance hall, lectern, speaker’s desk and the separation wall in the auditorium.... Read more

The High Views are two observation towers along a cycling route between Lincoln and Boston, 60 km apart. They mark a place to rest on the banks of the River Witham where one can look out over a landscape that is very varied in its use. The design of the towers is in part based on the churches of the two towns. The meandering vault of Lincoln Cathedral inspired the observation tower in Boston. The stubby parish church of Boston gave rise to the... Read more

The conservation project for the Book Tower aims at restoring the historical site of the University Library, situated in the lively quartier Latin of Ghent, meanwhile at transforming it into a library for the 21st Century. The design unites the ambitions of the University to respectfully repair the monumental site to its original condition, but also to render it a contemporary house for a great diversity of users and for the valuable own... Read more

The Antwerp City Archives are housed in the 20.000 m2 Sint-Felix Warehouse, an icon of historical harbour architecture in Antwerp. The project involved the construction of concrete containers on the upper six storeys, for the conservation of documents from the city’s archives. On the top floor, a new oak roof structure accommodates reading and study rooms around three large, well-lit light wells. Access from the city is via a semi-public... Read more

The dovecote in the forestry area in Dorst stands in a clearing in the wood, next to a stream in which it is reflected. The way the stones are stacked leaves edges and angles on which the birds can sit. There are occasional gaps too, where a stone has been left out so that the birds can get inside to sit on bars. The dovecote is built in blocks of Pietra di Vicenza, a calcareous sandstone from Italy.... Read more

This garden house with swimming pool is a two-storey wooden structure with an irregular floor plan. The load-bear­ing wooden beams form a pattern of adjoining triangles. A sculptural hearth element runs up through the volume as a solid supporting pillar. On the ground floor there are changing rooms, a sauna and a hammam, and upstairs a flat with kitchen. The roof is fitted out as a terrace amidst the treetops.... Read more

A complex but recognisable setting is composed of a church, a vicarage, a glebe, a brick silo, a brewery, and above all a set of large trees. In short, an idyllic and typical Flemish landscape that somehow predates the Second World War neither touched nor spoiled. In all its aristocratic allure, the 18th-century vicarage exudes a forgotten past that poses a real challenge to all things new. The humble garden walls form a dominant role in the... Read more

A wooden walkway, which descends from a platform to the small valley behind a villa in southern Flanders, leads to the Woodland Cabin, a distant relative of the igloo and the small buildings one comes across in the mountains everywhere in the world. On a platform next to a pond, wooden blocks have been stacked to form a two-lobed space that is closed off with a glass wall and door. Beams that fan out support a green roof from which emerges the... Read more

On ‘t Zand, an open urban space near the station in Bruges, Robbrecht and Daem built a concert hall for Bruges when it was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2002. Alongside the Halletoren, the Church of Our Lady and St Salvator’s Cathedral, this ‘Concertgebouw’ has become a landmark when driving into the city. A uniform external cladding in terracotta tiles hangs like dignified drapery over the volumes of the concert hall, fly tower and... Read more

The nineteenth-century, rather dark mansion with a narrow, long city garden in the center was transformed into a contemporary light-filled residence with a pharmacy. Above the renovated pharmacy and between the volumes of the main building, a patio gives a view of the tower of the 18th-century baroque church through wall-high windows, while a skylight brings daylight into the pharmacy workspace. The patio is like a heart between the various... Read more

The garden pavilion in Vosselare was the first in a series of small architectural objects. In the studio of Robbrecht en Daem, these small structures give rise to a reflection on their position as architects and the status of architecture as such. In connection with this project, Juan Muñoz wrote ‘Estimado Amigo’.... Read more

In the Canal Houses apartment building – designed by Robbrecht and Daem architecten – a three-story penthouse apartment was also furnished by the architects. The sober and warm design is achieved through the textures and colors of the materials. A striking feature is the floor in light gray Piedmont Serena, which is a neutral base for the installation of artworks. An oak staircase connects the two other levels where the floor is also in oak... Read more

In 1992, on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Robbrecht en Daem architecten collaborated with Juan Muñoz to create a pavilion titled the House Where It Always Rains. Pavilions are structures where art and architecture come together in the heady pursuit of pure experimentation. Somewhere between a folly and a model, the pavilion is an actual space, constructed so it can be occupied and looked at; but it has no apparent purpose.... Read more

The Aue pavilions were temporarily built for the hundred days of Documenta IX in Kassel and formed one of the components housing the contemporary art exhibitions. Visited by six hundred thousand people, the pavilions showcased the work of twenty-eight artists. The Building was situated in the extensive baroque park of Friedrichs' Aue's. This park lies sixteen metres below the nearby Friedrichsplatz from where one could look down on the pavilions... Read more

The building trade and the social situation in the early years of our practice were such that the majority of our commissions consisted of interventions to existing buildings or spatial redesigns of building complexes. In this way we contributed to the sum total of the building activity which - in an on-going interrelationship of action and reception produced a considerable material output at that time. We perceive that totality as primary matter... Read more

A penthouse was built on top of an industrial building with an art nouveau facade. This glass pavilion forms a still-life on the roof together with the technical installations enclosed inside a grating, and Isa Genzken’s work of art Camera. The frame of the work of art emphasises the role the flat plays as an observatory overlooking the town.... Read more