An old 13th century storage barn has been reconverted into a new art centre “Ten Bogaerde”(Belgium, Koksijde). The barn belongs to a 12th century Abbey: “Abbey of the Dune”. A community of monks dwelled this historical site ‘Ten Bogaerde’ until 1833. Afterwards, it was used for the military and as a school for agriculture. Now the Abbey harbours a restaurant and an exposition space. A fourth building, the pig stables will be reconverted into a brewery. In the 16-17th century, the barn was burnt down twice after which it was rebuilt into a smaller volume. Only the two head facades remained intact during this transition.

Our design contains three main interventions:

Firstly, to guide visitors towards the entrance of the museum, a  black metal wall is inserted into the existing opening at the east façade. Secondly, an abstract concrete volume is placed into the renovated wooden roof structure. Finally, by cutting out an inner segment of the building and removing a part of the roof, the barn opens up towards the landscape. Overall, the facades are left as they were.

‘Ten Bogaerde’ consists of two parts: A permanent exhibition with the works of Georges Grard (1901-1984, Koksijde) and a multifunctional space for temporary exhibitions in association with “Frac Nord – Pas De Calais”.

The interventions are presented as a neutral and an abstract design towards the historical building. Because of this, the historical value of the barn stands out and the function becomes independent of the form.