Gruuthuse museum wins Special Restoration Mention of the European AHI Award
We are very proud to announce that the Gruuthuse museum in Bruges won the Special Restoration Mention of the European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention (AADIPA). At the awards ceremony in Barcelona, the Special Mention of this sixth edition was handed over to our team. This prize gives a beautiful recognition to our restoration project that brought 500 years of Bruges architectural history back to life.
The project
At the end of the 19th century, Bruges city architect Louis Delacenserie carried out thorough adaptation works on the Hof van de Heren van Gruuthuse, giving the city palace with its 14th century core its neo-Gothic appearance. Under the direction of B-juxta, the second phase of the restoration work on the Gruuthuse museum was completed at the end of 2017. The sculptural mullion façade, the imposing roofs, the special joinery with stained glass glazing, the majestic 19th century ceiling with hanging vaults in the entrance hall, the large attic (now 'Studio +') with multi-coloured stencil paintings on the trusses and the impressive belvedere tower – which is entirely covered in lead – were all restored with great care and attention to detail.
The award
The European Award AHI is a biennial event. The main goal of this event is to distinguish quality interventions in all the aspects of built heritage and contribute to their dissemination. The contest is aimed at consolidating itself as a catalyst and observatory of new challenges added to the conservation and intervention in built heritage by the globalization of contemporary architecture.
In addition to four award winners, the Special Mention is given to the intervention which from a technical and methodological point of view stands out for its quality, precision and respect.
Discover more about the Belgian nominees and winners on the VAi website.