Belgium – Construction work – RESTAURATIE EN HERBESTEMMING VAN HET HEILIGE GEESTHUIS IN LIER

The Godshuis Heilig Geesthuis consists of four buildings arranged around a courtyard. The buildings are referred to in the dossier as follows: front building A, west wing building B, rear building C and east wing building D. After an extensive restoration, the building complex will be repurposed as the ‘Huis van het Kind’. The buildings will be adapted to the technical and comfort requirements of the Huis van het Kind, with attention to energy, sustainability, accessibility, child safety and fire safety. The building envelope of buildings A and C will be thoroughly renovated (restoration of facade ornament, renewal or restoration of exterior joinery and renewal of the roof covering). The wooden load-bearing structures, both floor levels and roof, will be extensively restored or renewed in both buildings. The interior will be adapted to modern comfort standards with a complete renewal of all techniques and the implementation of a lift and new staircase core. Where possible, insulation will be added internally. Building C will additionally be fully basemented. Building B will be demolished and replaced by a new building volume of one storey with a gradually sloping roof play area that connects buildings A and C on the floors. The new building B will also be provided with a new underground basement. The courtyard, which is enlarged by the demolition of building D, will be completely redesigned. The formerly infilled Sint-Pietersvliet behind rear building C will be reopened and made publicly accessible. The project aims to achieve sustainable heating of the Heilig Geestgebouw via a combination of aquathermie (heat from surface water) and geothermie (BEO-field). The application of aquathermie falls within a European Interreg subsidy project, in which the Heilig Geestgebouw serves as a pilot project for sustainable energy in a heritage context. For the aquathermie, an underground circuit will be set up that extracts water from the nearby Binnennete at the Mosdijk and transports it to the aquathermie heat pump in the technical basement of the Heilig Geesthuis. To realise the Binnennete circuit, a suction and discharge pipe will be provided in one guided borehole between the plot of the Heilig Geestsite and the Binnennete via the plot Kerkstraat 3-5. At the Binnennete, on the side of the plot Kerkstraat 3-5, compact stainless steel heat exchangers will be provided on a new steel structure. The geothermal installation (BEO-field) will be realised by means of vertical boreholes at the courtyard.