Inauguration of St. Cornelius Church in Aalbeke as a new public space

Churches have always been prominent community centers in our cities and towns. Even today, they occupy a central place in the life of religious communities, but they also offer the possibility of responding to the needs of a changing society. In the Sint-Corneliuskerk in Aalbeke (Kortrijk), this symbolic place takes on a new value, as part of a new public space.

The project was commissioned by the city of Kortrijk, after a participatory process involving the church council, the church factory, the CPAS, associations, municipal services and residents. The master plan – designed by the collective of urban architects in collaboration with Sileghem & Partners, Tech3, Fonseca Office, Feys B.V. – provides for the redevelopment of the church, in connection with the multifunctional meeting center of the building in which the CPAS is housed. The existing meeting center will be renovated and the existing CPAS houses will make way for a new rehearsal room for harmony. Together, approximately 2850 m² of common space will be realized.

versatility

The church design combines a smaller liturgical space for eighty people with a music school and library, giving the space new value for all generations. The aisles of the church, for example, now house the Aalbeke district library and four music classes of the Conservatory. The classrooms and the library are accessible from a central foyer which also serves as a multipurpose room for conferences and concerts or as a reading room for the library. The exterior structure of the church has been almost completely preserved. The precious stained glass windows have been renovated and equipped with double protective glazing. The roof received new windows that allow daylight to enter the central foyer. The library side also received new windows and access to a terrace.

The design emphasizes versatility and multifunctionality. Despite the subdivision into sub-rooms, the special experience of the large church space is preserved. The different parts of the program are mutually reinforcing. Children who come to the academy also stay in the library. The library functions as a meeting place in the middle of the village, a village point. Small concerts can be organized in the central hall where piano and organ can play a role.

What was once the site of baptisms, weddings and funerals takes on new meaning in the community and will now be associated with new memories. Sint-Cornelius becomes the face of Aalbeke again, not only in a religious context, but as the municipality’s mascot.

Map of the church

Urbain was not only responsible for the secondary use of this church, but also drew up the Kortrijk Church Plan, in which a future vision was laid out for 25 parish churches in Kortrijk. The collective works on design feasibility studies for various parish churches in Flanders, a number of which are also concretely developed and realized by them.

“As beacons, churches with their steeples not only mark places, but also memories and events. The raison d’etre of the church in recent decades lies in its religious origins. In changing social settings, this origin is questioned, but the buildings remain standing. The specific structures challenge us. Each time built according to predefined principles, each time materialized, grown and merged in a different way and in a different place. They have been erected as a sacred space by and for the community. Today, the question of the meaning of our spatial environment is more important than ever. Now that church buildings are becoming available, the challenge is to redeploy these structures in response to new social needs, desires and possibilities. It is a challenge to see what new or innovative mediating role they can play between the individual and the collective. Our ambition therefore goes beyond the simple reassignment of a building. We try to respond to the importance of the building and its spatial environment”, explains David Claus of the collective of urban architects.

About foreshadows

The exhibition ‘Prefigurations’ is a production of the house of cultural innovation Architecture Workroom Brussels as part of the cultural movement The Great Renovation 2020-2030. In collaboration with a group of designers, consultants, economists, sociologists, experts in public administration, cultural actors, experts in transition and political decision-makers, an agenda has been drawn up for ten Future Places. These are innovative projects that will have to multiply over the next ten years if we want to achieve the ambitious climate, circularity and solidarity objectives that we have set ourselves as a society.

With a selection committee, 40 concrete architectural projects were selected for this exhibition. The architectural projects presented lay the foundations for the necessary social and spatial transitions that can translate into various future places in our streets, our neighborhoods, our cities and our landscapes. As media partner of the exhibition, Architectura will publish ten of these Future Places on its website in the weeks and months to come.

The exhibition takes place in a former Pachecolaan call center on the North-South link in Brussels. It can be visited until October 23. Click on here For more information.