With ABBY, the city of Kortrijk in Belgium has a new, idiosyncratic exhibition site for visual arts, with identity as a layered and daring central theme.
The exterior of ABBY Kortrijk (formerly Groeninge Abbey) is made of a bespoke WasteBasedBrick developed by FRONT (formerly StoneCycling). In the process of this bespoke development, 92.750 kg of construction waste is given a new purpose.
Abby Kortrijk is an initiative of the City of Kortrijk with the support of the Flemish Government.
Image credits: Stad Kortrijk
ABBY Kortrijk
The architects specifically looked for a moulded brick with low water absorption for the tapered facade of this new pavilion.
After adapting the recipe of our WasteBasedBricks, extensive tests showed that we could provide a product with low water absorption as well as a deep anthracite colour in sanded form – perfectly meeting the architect’s request.
Each stone has two specific angles of 78 and 84 degrees.
The historic site of Groeninge Abbey – an old Cistercian abbey from the late 16th century – has been reworked in its unique form language into a timeless, compact and sustainable architectural gem that focuses on heritage.
A new park pavilion, which looks monumental and elegant at the same time, connects one-to-one with the existing 16th and 19th-century buildings that together form ABBY. Underground, two state-of-the-art exhibition halls expand the site with around 600 m² of extra exhibition space.
Abby Kortrijk is a playful, accessible and polyphonic museum for visual arts that invites you to look differently: at art and heritage, at identity in all its complexity and stratification, at the city, at museums, at people and how they relate to each other.
And now it also invites you to look differently at waste.
We’re excited that you are interested in developing a custom made brick or brick slip. You can schedule an intake here.
Do you need some advice to make the right decision? Our brick experts are here to help.
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