The head of Belgian architecture studio Klaarchitectuur, Gregory Nijs, turned Chapel ‘De Waterhond’ into “The Waterdog”, a studio for their architecture practice and a public space.
‘The waterdog’ is a state-of-the-art workspace where working almost becomes a spiritual experience. No more dull and unimaginative offices; be inspired by a challenging working environment where past, present and future are inextricably linked. By stacking the different offices and spreading out the various departments across different floors, a constant sense of dynamism is created in the workspace.
One of the most important requirements at the start of the design process was to reopen the historic building to the public.
This was achieved by creating a big open space at the heart of the old chapel. By stacking offices in a box-like fashion, the necessary space was freed up to create an engaging and multifunctional space, which can be used for a broad spectrum of urban activities. This way, a building that has had many functionalities in the past and which has played a crucial part in the lives of so many, can once again come to live and serve an entire community.
Architecture: Klaarchitectuur / Gregory Nijs
Photography: Valerie Clarysse, Toon Grobet
