Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
With the transformation of the Mother House in Veghel, an iconic national monument has been given a new and useful purpose as a residential building. The design for the transformation was created by LA | Architects Engineers, which focused on restoring the quality, livability, and experience of the building.
“We got to know developer Zenzo Maatschappelijk Vastgoed through an architectural competition,” says Hans van den Tillaart, architect BNA and director at
LA | Architects | Engineers. “Initially, we were invited to participate in the redevelopment of the former guesthouse grounds (the old Bernhoven hospital grounds; ed.) at the rear. Here, we built several apartments, after which our collaboration continued in the Kloosterkwartier. Our ambition here was primarily to leave the authentic and monumental monastery garden of the Franciscan Sisters undeveloped, which means that the rest of the site has been built on very intensively. We designed several buildings (A to H), which offer space for a total of 250 apartments. The historic chapel has been converted into social offices, which prompted the Area housing association to build social rental apartments in the adjacent former Mother House. Commissioned by Zenzo and Area, we investigated how we could fit fifty social rental homes into the existing structure with load-bearing facades, load-bearing corridor walls, small spans, and wooden floors, which also meet all current housing requirements.”
The wooden floors have been optimized in terms of building physics, both in terms of acoustics and fire safety, says Van den Tillaart. “For the exterior facade, we worked with the Cultural Heritage Agency and the Monuments Committee to investigate the best solutions on site. For example, the clunky aluminum window frames have been replaced by wooden frames, in the original profile and with a glazing bar layout that matches the bacon layers of the Mother House. This has given the beautiful building a beautiful and peaceful finishing touch. The Mother House fits beautifully between the national monument Lambertuskerk and the new construction of the Kloosterkwartier plan.”
“During the renovation, all pragmatic additions from the 1960s and 1970s were removed,’ summarizes Mike van den Biggelaar, architectural project manager, specification writer, and fire specialist at LA | Architecten Ingenieurs. ’This has restored the unique quality of the Mother House.” As an example, he mentions the removal of the suspended ceilings, which has revealed the beautiful skylights once again. “But also making the courtyard semi-publicly accessible, which has given a significant boost to livability and experience.”
“The building had been vacant for several years, which had drained it of some of its vitality,” explains Sanne van de Berg, architect at LA | Architecten Ingenieurs. “Now that the building is fully occupied again, its spirit has returned. This also makes the building more attractive to its surroundings.” To harmonize its appearance and energy efficiency, insulated false walls have been added, Van den Biggelaar explains. “In addition, the building is connected to the Kloosterkwartier's thermal energy storage system, and solar panels have been installed on the roof, which are not visible from street level. This is a beautiful combination of modern technology and heritage.”
