The City of Roeselare has just recently inaugurated its new town hall – an iconic example of harmonious new meets old, incorporating sustainability, circular building practices and the carbon-reducing ambitions of our Belgian CTB partners.
Heritage and innovation in harmony at the new town hall building, Roeselare
Renovation, integration, innovation
Both the historic Rococo town hall and belfry, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were renovated and integrated with an innovative and brand-new office zone. The new building puts maximum effort into sustainability, ecology and energy efficiency.
The project started with the circular demolition of the office zone. More than 99% of the demolition waste was reused elsewhere: stone rubble, lead, zinc, cables, steel, and so on. A comprehensive digital inventory, linked to a BIM model, made this possible. In the new building, adaptability in addition to future disassembly is the starting point.
Prize-winning design in sustainable building practices
International hallmark for sustainable building
The building consists of a flexible grid of columns and beams with non-load-bearing internal walls and facades. Besides those internal walls and facades, the floors and ceilings are also highly flexible and demountable, thanks to the use of computer floors, carpet tiles and climate ceilings.
All this ensures that the Roeselare town hall is on track to achieve the 'excellent' label of BREEAM, an independent and international hallmark for sustainable building. These combined efforts make it the most sustainable town hall in Flanders to date.
Setting an example for integrating old and new with circular building practices
Support & trust for circular building
During the European Interreg North Sea project Circular Trust Building, partners from Roeselare will share their expertise in circular demolition and building, and aim to expand their current expertise to incoporate smaller, new public buildings. Moreover, the Belgian municipality wants to support civilians undertaking circular renovation projects and help in gaining trust in circular techniques and contractors.
Photo copyright:
1 - Stad & OCMW Roeselare 2 - Studiopointu 3 - Bieke Bruggeman 4 - Studiopointu