monumental square farms
The Belgian Hoeve Caestert is located in desolation, and decay and vegetation are gradually taking over the once regionally significant farmstead. The renovation acts as a therapy for the ruined farm. Its new function, a post-traumatic stress therapy centre, inspired the approach and was inspired by the farm's current state. History and heritage are at focus, and the choices concerning those are crucial to the design. The heritage is seen as the current condition.
Materialization and Technique:
The materials are chosen from the existing palette of the farm, as a gesture to the heritage. The bearing structure and the transparent enclosure are among the new additions. The opaque envelope is reused. A new timber structure is built to support the ruin and link it to the "new" function and structure.
Design approach:
The architectural language of the intervention is defined by the key qualities of the ruined farm. It results in a blend of tall masonry, visible monumental timber structure, skylights and atria. This renovation focuses on the ruined farm as a typology and deals with the act of intervention in a metaphoric way through the new function. The design seeks to be a natural continuation of the building, the intervention attempts to recover the Caestert by reinterpreting its current spatial characteristics. In doing so, it is intended that the building, as the PTSD patients, will recover structurally and functionally by taking as a starting point their current state and characteristics.
Essentially, this reinterpretation, through the use of key spatial aspects and materials native to the farm, is how the intervention pays homage to the history of the building and emphasizes the key qualities the ruined farm expresses. The intervention therefore is seen as an act of therapy in itself and aims to give the farm a status of a symbol of recovery.
Materialization and Technique:
The materials are chosen from the existing palette of the farm, as a gesture to the heritage. The bearing structure and the transparent enclosure are among the new additions. The opaque envelope is reused. A new timber structure is built to support the ruin and link it to the "new" function and structure.
Design approach:
The architectural language of the intervention is defined by the key qualities of the ruined farm. It results in a blend of tall masonry, visible monumental timber structure, skylights and atria. This renovation focuses on the ruined farm as a typology and deals with the act of intervention in a metaphoric way through the new function. The design seeks to be a natural continuation of the building, the intervention attempts to recover the Caestert by reinterpreting its current spatial characteristics. In doing so, it is intended that the building, as the PTSD patients, will recover structurally and functionally by taking as a starting point their current state and characteristics.
Essentially, this reinterpretation, through the use of key spatial aspects and materials native to the farm, is how the intervention pays homage to the history of the building and emphasizes the key qualities the ruined farm expresses. The intervention therefore is seen as an act of therapy in itself and aims to give the farm a status of a symbol of recovery.