63
GLOW
Kortrijk.....
The project involves the expansion and repurposing of an existing townhouse on the corner of Gentsestraat and Gentsesteenweg in Kortrijk. The project aligns with the visual quality plan for the historic city center and aims to achieve a balanced combination of heritage preservation, contemporary architecture, and urban densification.
This project demonstrates how a historic corner house can be transformed in a contemporary manner within an urban context, while respecting heritage, ensuring a thoughtful architectural interpretation, and adding value to the streetscape.
Project information
The architectural intervention is based on respect for the heritage value of the existing facades, combined with a contemporary addition that blends coherently into the streetscape. The extension echoes the neoclassical rhythm of the surrounding buildings but reinterprets it in a contemporary way with vertical concrete porticos and a transparent curtain wall. This transparency ensures that the city garden behind remains visible and felt from the street.
The two upper-level apartments retain the residential function of the existing building. There is one apartment per floor, one of which is a duplex with a sunroom and terrace. The existing entrance in the facade is given a clear new purpose, with separate entrances for the residential area, the retail space, and a potential basement conversion into an additional wellness area. The modifications respect the existing ornamentation, with abstract references to baseboards, cornices, and window divisions.
Within the commercial space, the heritage building on the ground floor is incorporated as an intimate zone (office, lounge, kitchen), while the new addition serves as a spacious storefront and showroom.
