2003 / a gallery and a square

The gallery occupies a ground floor commercial space in a recently finished residential block in the south of Antwerp. As in most cases in such newly developed areas, the building shows little interest to interact with its surroundings while a mismatch of facades create a bizarre patchwork in its interior.

When asked to finish the rough construction state of the interior, we decided rather to make a fundamental spatial transformation and keep the rough interior as is. The entrance to the gallery is shifted towards the now ignored urban square. 3 newly defined functional boxes provide a vitrine, a utility space and storage space, connected by a curtain rail hanging in an angle which responding to the urban context, allowing various flexible configuration within the space. By means of these small scale interventions, the problematic patchwork of facades are transformed into 3 distinct qualities –a vitrine, a gallery window and a passage– while allowing the whole to reconnect with its immediate surroundings.

In collaboration with Mathias Prenen

Location

Antwerp, Belgium

Surface

275m²

Client

private