09 2022
September 2022
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27/09 2022

KAAN Architecten to design the new Courthouse in Nancy

We are proud to announce KAAN Architecten has been selected to design the new Courthouse in Nancy, following a competition launched by the APIJ, the leading real estate operator of the French Ministry of Justice.

The Courthouse in Nancy will bring together the penal, civic, social and trades courts on one site. Creating a singular hub for these legal entities aims to improve the conditions for welcoming the public and the functioning of all courts. The jury selected our design as it ensures a high-quality urban interpolation that highlights the remarkable industrial heritage of the site. Located on the site of the former Alstom factory in the northeast of Nancy’s historic core, the new judicial complex marks the first stage of the transformation of this historically industrial area into an up-and-coming ecological district. 

Our project restores the architectural and spatial integrity of the former assembly hall, transforming it into various interconnected spaces. Facades and most portico frames are preserved and dialogue with the project’s different parts: the new judicial building and its logistics spaces, the forecourt, and a dense forest. The greenery is omnipresent and seeps into the building through a large patio, contributing to the image of serene and welcoming justice.

Demolition works carried out by the municipality of Nancy will begin in 2023, while delivery is expected by 2027. Find more information here (in French).

Project facts:

Architect: KAAN Architecten, Paris/Rotterdam
Local architect: Bagard & Luron, Nancy
Structural advisor: EVP Ingénierie, Paris
Installation and Sustainability advisor: INEX, Montreuil
Financial advisor: BMF, Paris/Apprieu
Acoustics advisor: META, Paris
Maintenance and operation: SINTEO, Paris
Landscape design: Territoires, Besançon
Images: ILULISSA, Nancy

Client: The Public Agency for Judicial Real Estate (APIJ)
GFA: 15.000 m2
Program: 10 public courtrooms, 21 cabinet courtrooms, 338 workplaces

 

26/09 2022

A celebration of art and architecture decades in the making

On Saturday, 24 September 2022, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (KMSKA) reopened its doors to the public after a thorough eleven-year-long closure for renovation of the historical museum and contemporary extension completely concealed within the existing structure.

After winning an international competition in 2003 commissioned by the Flemish Government, we have worked intensively on the complex masterplan, renovation and extension of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (Belgium), also known as KMSKA (Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen), to bring contemporary allure to a glorious, overlooked beauty of the 19th century. 

Guests can walk through an enfilade of exhibition rooms tinted in dark pink, green and red; oak doors, tall columns and ceiling ornaments in plasterwork convey a feeling of ancient grandeur.

Meanwhile, hidden in the heart of the old building, a new vertical museum arises as a completely autonomous entity built within the four original patios.

With bright white exhibition halls, hidden rooms, long staircases, far-reaching sightlines and varying gradations of daylight, the new museum charts a route full of surprising vertical experiences.

With the museum’s grand opening, the longest-running project of our office comes to a close. “The renovation was a unique experience, one that has not followed the usual paths of an architectural project in any way. A lot of people have contributed with their hands and head to a result we can now celebrate, and for which I owe everyone a lot of thanks,” says Dikkie Scipio, the founding partner in charge of guiding the masterplan of the renovation for the past two decades.

Explore the complete project here.

Photographs by Sebastian van Damme.