In the heart of the Belgian village of Moorsel, a disused 18th-century presbytery complex has been converted into a public domain by the Dutch-Belgian architectural team of De Kort Van Schaik Van Noten, thereby fulfilling the village community’s longstanding need for a multifaceted meeting place. The previously closed-off walled garden can now be enjoyed to the full by village residents. New buildings, such as a multi-purpose hall and a clubhouse, allow for a diversified use. The tranquil presbytery garden, with its sweeping lawn and numerous trees, has become a park, a transformation that has added a substantial quantity of green to the palette of overwhelmingly hardscaped public spaces in the centre of Moorsel.
Conversion of presbytery complex
The presbytery and walled garden together comprise a single entity that was granted listed status in 2003. The complex has a dual character: villagers were always welcome in the presbytery, whereas the walled garden behind was reserved for the priest alone. The tension between admission and exclusion, open and closed, accessible and inaccessible is consequently the key attribute of this heritage ensemble.
The conversion of the complex resolves the question of how to unlock this boundary between the public and private without sacrificing the aforementioned duality. The entrance to the garden was moved from the presbytery hallway to a new forecourt adjacent to the presbytery and is flanked by a new garden wall.
In adding new buildings to the presbytery complex the goal was to find a way of integrating them with the characteristic ensemble of presbytery and walled garden. The guiding principle was that the new architecture should confirm the presbytery’s status as the most expressive building at the top of the garden and extend, as if it were one of the garden walls, along one side of the garden.
Two new buildings were added to the complex: a multi-purpose hall and premises for the local youth club, KLJ. Their siting takes full advantage of the garden’s diverse spatial qualities, ranging from open to thickly wooded. In addition, the garden is on a slope and spans a height difference of seven metres between front and back. The hall, as the most public function, is sited close to the presbytery and borders the open lawn. The clubhouse, which is more private in character, stands in the lower, wooded area at the rear of the garden.
Between the two new buildings is a new outdoor space: the tree room. With its stage, seating and special planting it can accommodate varied and intensive use, enabling the tranquil character of the adjacent historical presbytery garden to be preserved.
The future of heritage
The new architecture allows the public to experience the unique atmosphere of the historical heritage in many different ways. The only addition to the garden is a winding footpath, which has introduced a route. The main spaces, the multi-purpose hall and the youth club rooms, are all one way or another focused on the garden and the old presbytery. The hall, which can be opened up in a number of places, looks out at the presbytery and on its long side merges with the lawn. On the short side the terrace provides a panorama of the garden, tree room and surrounding area. Each of the club rooms has a different orientation: in one there is a view back towards the tree room and presbytery, while in the other the trees form a backdrop for club activities.
The disused presbytery will eventually be turned into bed and breakfast accommodation, providing tourists with an opportunity to experience the historical value of the renovated complex as well.
Elementary architecture
The structural elements create the architecture. This has given rise to an elementary architecture that is an appropriate basis for village life. Concrete floors and rear wall, dark grey steel portal frames and timber roof beams constitute the framework within which meetings between villagers can take place. Within this framework a band of floor-to-ceiling, black-framed windows and grey, corrugated steel panels define the boundary between interior and exterior. In the hall this boundary is set back vis-à-vis the load-bearing structure, creating an intermediate zone that constitutes a soft boundary between inside and outside. It contains the entrance to the garden and the building as well as the hall’s opening to the garden and a terrace that overlooks the tree room.
In the interior the roof beams are a prominent element. Thanks to their height, the beams hide all the lighting and ventilation-related systems from view. In the spaces with an orientation at right angles to the beams, the latter give the impression of a quasi-velvety, calm-inducing surface. At the same time, the beams point outside and so in most spaces they focus attention on the surroundings.
Procedure with public and local clients
The project came about through a close collaboration between two local associations and the City of Aalst. The architect was chosen via the Open Call procedure of the Flemish Government Architect. In 2011 this international architect selection process was won by the Rotterdam - Antwerp architectural team of De Kort Van Schaik Van Noten.
The construction and park layout were financed with a mix of public and private funding. On the one hand through several grants, including from the European Rural Development Fund, the Flemish City Fund (Stedenfonds) and the Tourism for All Fund. On the other hand by tapping the funds of local associations. And lastly, the village community itself turned to crowd funding to ensure that construction could finally commence in June 2013. A year later, in June 2014, all those involved and the entire village community were on hand for the official opening of the new community centre.
Preparations are currently under way for the complete restoration of the presbytery, which will function as bed & breakfast accommodation.
About De Kort Van Schaik Van Noten
De Kort Van Schaik Van Noten is a close collaboration between two architectural practices: De Kort Van Schaik - headed by Robert-Jan de Kort and Sander van Schaik - from Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Van Noten Architects - headed by Sophie Van Noten - from Antwerp (Belgium).
The partners have a wide experience in architecture and urban design and in media relating to these disciplines. The team’s strength lies in the shared interest in the level of scale where architecture and urban design meet. Starting from this scale, the team pinpoints the essence of spatial plans and its impact on both the public and the private domain. This results in urban design plans with strong spatial qualities and architectural plans with strong urban qualities.
The community centre in Moorsel is the first project realised by De Kort Van Schaik Van Noten. They are currently working on part of a new health care campus in Aalst, a social housing project in Berlaar and an apartment building with basement car park in the historical centre of Bruges (all in Belgium).
Project
Moorsel Community Centre
Function
Multi-purpose hall, youth club premises, park
Status
1st prize Open Call 21.14 / Flemish Government Architect’s Team
Architect
De Kort Van Schaik Van Noten, Rotterdam (NL) – Antwerpen (BE)
Client
VZW Parochiale Werken Sint-Martinus Moorsel (BE)
City of Aalst (BE)
Team
Robert-Jan de Kort, Sander van Schaik, Sophie Van Noten
Structural engineering
Close to Bone, Aarschot (BE)
Building services
Close to Bone, Aarschot (BE)
Contractor
Van Herreweghe Bouw, Aalst (BE), Alpas NV, Dendermonde (BE), De Jonge & Zoon, Aalst (BE)
Photography
© Filip Dujardin, Ghent (BE)
Gross Floor Area
6.200 m2 site, 676 m2 buildings
Process
2011 – 2014
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