BuildingforBouwkunde | BK2008-4097

POST IGNEM

Tom Haelvoet (1984, architect) and Eveline Hanssens
Haelvoet-Hanssens Architecten
Wondelgem, Belgium

Motivation by the designer

The project “POST IGNEM” or literally “after the fire” shows how (the elapsing of) time is a crucial factor in urban development. Some architectural elements are permanent through time and history, permanent, not only because they survive time but also through their outer form and maybe even more important, through their legacy. These are the stories that are linked to certain places or buildings. The stories combined with the form of such buildings resemble the spirit and heart of a certain place. It’s this stacking of time that distinguishes an urban object from an urban monument. These urban monuments form the main element, the spine of the city, a constant factor through time. In this manner we can say that the former bouwkunde building has acquired - in our minds - a status of monument, especially within the architectural community.

Today, this ‘inertia’ of the campus, or even the city of Delft, has been traumatized. The devastating fire suddenly destroyed the materialisation of so many memories. The project “POST IGNEM” wants to formulate an answer to this loss by re-establishing the former bouwkunde building as a primary monument.

We propose to erect a new building on the site with the most basic rules we know in urban planning and architecture; First we set out a square of 170 metres long (dictated by the demand of floor area). This will form the outer perimeter of the new building. We divide this square in 4 quarters by means of two perpendicular main axes. These main axes are then oriented North to South and East to West. Through a process of ‘gridding’ we insert patios who will bring light into the building. These patios vary in size for some functions needs more space than others. Finally and most important we carve the ground plan of the former bouwkunde building out of the square. We proclaim that, where once stood an urban monument nothing else can be.

This last act of carving out, shows the permanence of ‘the plan’ in architecture and urban development. “POST IGNEM" or “after the fire” restores the inertia of the former Bouwkunde building through form and spirit; Its form will not only still be recognisable from in- and outside the project but the form will reappear as the centre of the new building. It functions as an inner courtyard, connected with the four main gates by enclosed corridors. People will still meet and run in on each other on this forum. Students visiting the library, getting a lunch at the restaurant, teachers walking to their offices… All pass through this very heart of the architectural community. Memorial park, as it is called, commemorates and establishes itself as a place for leisure, social contact and contemplation. It is a tribute to the continuity of the city and the continuity of architecture.

We consider “POST IGNEM” as an urban island in the University campus of Delft, which is an sich an urban island from the historical city of Delft. It’s a heterotopic community, it’s a place of knowledge, a city on its own that still reflects to the historical city.

With this project “POST IGNEM” we’ve tried to make a sustainable building. The use of only two stories make sure elevator-use is reduced to a strict minimum. The patios decrease the massive energy demand for artificial lightening and also make it possible to work with natural ventilation or even passive cooling. During winter these patios can be covered to reduce heat loss, while the sloped roof can be used to gain solar energy. And finally its ground plan, an invention of space, makes sure it stays a sustainable and flexible building through time and can be adopted by any function.

Comments by the Jury

The entry, POST IGNEM (or ‘After the fire’), leaves the footprint of the old Bouwkunde literally untouched, and instead re-invents it as a spatially interesting inner courtyard within a new structure. This new structure is composed in a very rigid, systematic manner by defining a number of simple architectural rules. Although the proposal does not contain any novelties in terms of sustainable techniques, it is very carefully thought through on this level. The patios allow for natural lightening and ventilation, the large roof can be used to gain solar energy, and the ground plan allows for flexibility of use.
The jury regards this project as a very thoughtful way of using the footprint of the old building as a tangible memory. The old Bouwkunde becomes a monument through its absence and presence in the new. This very intelligent proposal overcomes the risk of becoming too nostalgic through the architectural elaboration of the plan, which juxtaposes regular, small courtyards and the larger ‘footprint’ courtyard. While the spatial representation remains rather limited, the concept itself bears the promise of a spatially rich building. The jury appreciates this project for its strong appeal to the memory of the old building, without falling into the trap of nostalgia. For this strong and simultaneously modest design proposal, the jury rewards POST IGNEM with an honourable mention.