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

The Godshuis Heilig Geesthuis consists of four buildings arranged around a courtyard. In the dossier, the buildings are referred to as follows: front building A, west wing building B, rear building C, and east wing building D. After an extensive restoration, the building ensemble 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 facades of buildings A and C will be thoroughly renovated (restore facade ornamentation, renew or restore exterior joinery, and renew 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 a lift and new stair core. Where possible, insulation will be added internally. Building C will additionally be fully underpinned. Building B will be demolished and replaced by a new single-story building with a gradually stepped roof playground 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 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 achieve sustainable heating of 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-subsidised 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 Mosdijk and transports it to the aquathermie heat pump in the technical basement of the Heilige Geesthuis. To realise the Binnennete circuit, a suction and discharge pipe will be provided in a single guided bore between the parcel of the Heilig Geest site and the Binnennete via the parcel Kerkstraat 3-5. At the Binnennete, on the side of the parcel 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 location of the courtyard.