Reconversie Sint-Amelbergakerk

The British artist Ellen Harvey, in association with Sileghem & Partners, took on the Church of St Amelberga at Bossuit in West Flanders, which dates to 1857. Harvey partially demolished the church in order to retain it as a ruin. The roof and the columns have both gone and all that remains are the outer walls. The new terrazzo floor, with its dark and light areas, plays on the history of the building. It reveals the position of the old columns, and also the shadow cast by the old church that was destroyed in a bombardment in the First World War. What remains is a new, open public space that weaves together past and present. The community is able to use it for various purposes, such as markets, as a meeting place or as a setting for church services and other ceremonies.

Author: Caroline Voet. This text has been published in the Architecture Review Flanders N°11. Embedded Architecture.