The Belgian studio dmvA revitalizes the artistic center of Mechelen nOna, which suffered for decades from the lack of space. The existing art-deco theatre had its limits and was no longer enough in terms of flexibility. In 1999, the owners rose here with the concept of structure a theatre at the time on the adjacent printing site. Meanwhile, the printing press has been remodeled into 3 transit practice rooms for artists in need, called nova. Finally, in 2016, the real renovation and structure of the arts nOna Began the expansion of the center. The project, with its dynamic masonry, is integrated into the urban plans of the city of Mechelen to energize the cultural axis between the giant square and the site of lamot.
| pirrone sergio photographs @sergiopirrone
The nOna dmvA Arts Center is located in the middle of an apple along a medieval alley that separates the new and the old site. The new extension is a component of the urban fabric through the succession of indoor and outdoor rooms with their own materiality and atmosphere. the new site takes credit for the capricious shape of the plot and responds to the mosaic of lawn walls and sheds. Three courtyards have been created as urban “rooms” around the new theater and forum, a multifunctional area that looks like a covered room. the first courtyard between the alley and the reception connects the begijnenstraat with the interior area; the giant courtyard introduces an extension of the forum, while the long courtyard accesses the artists’ lobby at the back; wide thresholds blur the boundary between inside and outside, the courtyards were created in collaboration with the artist nick ervinck with the concept of “brick in motion”.
With the renovation and expansion of the nOna Arts Center, dmvA introduces a new room in the form of a multifunctional concrete box. Along the concrete facade, the design team includes a “nona” engraving, which clearly indicates the call of the arts center, but also recalling the old printing press. The theater room is built according to the box-in-a-box concept to meet the acoustic needs of the construction, while the new street-like construction serves as a door to the courtyard. The construction connects the new with the existing theater. The nOna Art Center relates to the city through the glass facade, while LED displays show the programming of the art center, cheering the street and inviting passers-by to interact.
Plant
First floor plan
floor plan
ceiling plan
section
Site map
Project information:
project title: nOna arts center
architecture: dmvA
location: mechelen, Belgium
customer: teater teater vzw
design team: david driesen, tom verschueren, kobe van praet, valerie lonnoy, michael de roeck, gert-jan schulte, lukas versteele
Structure engineer: UTIL struktuurstudies
techniques: technum – tractebel engineering nv
security coordination
End: January 2020
photograph: sergio pirrone | @sergiopirrone
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