Psychiatrisch Centrum Broeders Alexianen

When renovating the Alexian Brothers Psychiatric Centre in Boechout, osar architects looked in-tently at the qualities of the 1875 building. The basis of their design involved the removal of the surplus square metres that the building was dragging along with it as a consequence of decades of ad hoc decisions. The visual traces of these extensions have been meticulously removed from the front façade in accordance with the traditional approach to additions — osar treated the façade as if it were a classified monument. For the rear façade, the exact opposite strategy was applied: cement paint was applied to the walls and the scars left visible. This dialectic between continuity and discontinuity is evidence of a degree of pragmatism, one that is inspired by the building’s contemporary significance and aesthetic expression.

This text is based on an article by Sofie De Caigny, published in Flanders Architectural Review N°12. Tailored Architecture