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 parapets, renewal or restoration of exterior joinery, and renewal of the roof covering). The wooden load-bearing structures, both floor levels and roof trusses, 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 an elevator and new stair 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 one-story building volume with a gradually stepped roof playground that connects building sections A and C on the floors. The new building B will also be provided with a new underground basement. The courtyard, which will be 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 provide sustainable heating for the Heilige Geestgebouw via a combination of aquathermie (heat from surface water) and geothermie (BEO-field). The application of aquathermie is part of a European Interreg-subsidized project, in which the Heilige 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 Heilige Geesthuis. To realize the Binnennete circuit, an intake and discharge pipe will be provided in one guided bore between the plot of the Heilig Geest site and the Binnennete via the plot Kerkstraat 3-5. At the Binnennete at 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 realized by means of vertical drilling at the location of the courtyard.