A new reception building has been added to the Rubenshuis – the site that includes the historic home and studio of artist Peter Paul Rubens – which will open its doors to the public from 30 August 2024. Designed by Robbrecht en Daem architecten,
the new building houses the public reception area, a multimedia experience centre around Rubens and his home and studio, the library, spaces for public activities and a host of back-office functions. The addition forms the new architectural gateway to the universe Rubens created for himself, which includes, in addition to the artist’s residence, his garden with garden pavilion and portico, the Kolverniershof and the Hoveniershuisje.
The entire site is a complex ensemble of heritage within which the new building had to position itself. For the design, the architects therefore started from a careful reading of the existing fabric and its historical stratification. The powerful principles of Rubens’ historical spatial concept, his work and his life are imbued in the design. Although the new reception building is definitely of the 21st century, memories of Rubens resound in it.
The volume is planned on Hopland, on the spot where Rubens housed his extensive and leading library in 1639. The flanks of the new building refer to this and are conceived as two giant bookcases facing each other over the full height. In this way, the internationally renowned library collection
is not stored away, but rather revealed in the ‘cheeks’ of the building. Thus, the building becomes tangible and legible for all its users. The collection ‘structures’ the spaces, as it were.
The facades – with their staccato stacking of colonnades – symbolize musculature, after the archetype of the strong body that was often central to Rubens’ paintings. Three large spiral staircases recall Rubens’ preference for monumental diagonals (think of the ‘Descent from the Cross’ or virtually any other altarpiece by his hand). The suite of stairs creates a swirling dynamic, bringing movement to the static of the architecture.
The proportions of the new facades follow Robbrecht en Daem’s Louie series and also refer to the ancient palazzos of Genoa that Rubens visited and found inspiring. By analogy with those classical influences, the new street facade manifests itself as a large entrance portico. While the urban building block turns its back on the garden, the new building wants to give it frontage – this in response to the facade the historical Rubenshuis has on the garden. The use of circular elements on the garden facade creates a captivating lighting effect in the building during the day, at dusk and at night.
Despite its size of 8 storeys (6 above ground, 2 below ground), the new volume establishes a subdued relationship with the rest of the site: it avoids the major perspectival axes and occupies a rather lateral position. In this way, the new reception building serves the master’s universe and integrally preserves the view of the portico and the courtyard garden. The redesigned garden functions as a green link between the historic residence and the new building. Together with the master plan and the new routing, the new reception building returns to the inspiring interplay between art, business, research and society that Rubens knew how to stage so ingeniously.
Memories of Rubens’ way of working and l iving
Rubens invariably drew the male figures in his work inspired by the heroes of classical antiquity, by the archetype of the strong body. The emphasis was on muscle mass. Reflecting on these observations, the building also took on a very muscular appearance with a staccato stacking of colonnades, both in the street and garden facades.
Without a doubt fascinating in the works of Rubens is the diagonality and dexterity of his compositions. This dexterity in itself contrasts with the architecture, which is rather static. Yet the design brings dynamism to the static, internalized in the plan. For example, visitors traverse the building in a diagonal fashion. There is a constellation of stairs
that are not lined up one above the other, creating a diagonal movement through the building.
The domestic aspect of this unique place is embodied in the two giant bookcases that face each other across all levels.
Classical attitudes I: perspective construction
Peter Paul Rubens spent no less than eight years in Italy during his young adult life, from 1600 to 1608. In addition to intense contact with the great Italian masters, Rubens also found inspiration in Italy for some powerful architectural creations that he commissioned in and around his Flemish home.
He transformed his residence following his own design into an Italian palazzetto – a small city palace with a courtyard and garden behind. He expanded the old Flemish sand and brick architecture with Renaissance interventions: a semicircular pantheon, the monumental painting studio, the richly decorated impressive portico and the geometric pleasure garden.
Perhaps the most powerful gesture Rubens imported from Italy was the perspective construction that from the entrance gate, across the courtyard, through the richly decorated portico, gives a view of the elegant garden pavilion on the other side of the site. Rubens created a unique ensemble of spaces that still astounds, and to which the new reception building wishes to relate with restraint. Despite
its size, the new volume does this by occupying a lateral position in relation to the rest of the site. The building avoids the major axes, so that the original perspective structure overlooking the portico
and courtyard garden remains unchanged. In this way, the new reception building merely serves the master’s universe. The redesigned garden functions as a green link between the historic residence and the new building.
Classical attitudes II: facades
The building has a distinct facade on the Hopland street side. Analogous to the Italian influences, this new street facade manifests itself as a large
entrance portico. All visitors to the Rubenshuis enter the site through here. The facade on the garden side may in fact be a rear facade, but it also has the allure of a second representative facade, directed towards the inner garden. While the urban building block turns its back on the garden, the new building wants to give it frontage – this as a response to the facade that the historical Rubenshuis has on the garden.
The proportions of the new facades follow Robbrecht en Daem’s Louie series, but at the same time refer to Italian palazzos. The facade is
composed of horizontal lines and vertical cylindrical elements. The use of curved elements in the garden facade creates a fascinating lighting effect in the building during the day, at dusk and at night.
Archival work
Through the design, the ‘housing of knowledge’ is approached as much more than an adequate and practical repository for the future. Knowledge may be tangibly collected in building parts that eschew daylight and are climate controlled. However, knowledge may also be displayed as one of the cores of the institution’s mission. The design seeks to make visible program elements that usually remain invisible. To this end, facades that bring in openness and light are combined with distinctly opaque programs where knowledge is preserved.
The internationally renowned library collection is not tucked away in a dark corner or room. It is given a prominent place in the ‘cheeks’ of the
building. Through the floor-to-ceiling bookcases, the collection is made tangible and readable for all users of the building. The collection ‘structures’ the spaces, so to speak.
For the more fragile pieces, a number of ‘blind’ building parts or compactus systems are provided, conserved and air-conditioned according to the
up-to-date climate class AA (Ashrae). They are again a reference to a motif from art history and the architects’ own oeuvre: the cabinet. The cabinet
is a closet, a space within a space, where artifacts and books are brought together in a compacted constellation. The building is organized around these closed cabinets and the opaque parts are given a very deliberate expression down to the level of the facade.
Use of colour
Rubens was known for adding emotional intensity and drama to his paintings through his use of colour. One colour that played an important role in this is the blood red hue, the ‘sanguine’ colour. As a characteristic hue, this red was continued in the interior of the new reception building, in the floors and furniture.
Energy sustainability
The building is also prepared for the future in terms of technical services and energy. Through geothermal drilling and solar panels, it provides independently extracted energy. The special installations for conservation and management of precious collection items (in the library) are also controlled in that way. The new reception produces more energy than necessary. With this surplus,
the new building is able to offload energy to the historical house. This creates the opportunity to empty valuable spaces currently occupied by
technical services and dedicate them to the public.
The building’s heavy floor plates, designed to support thousands of books, allow their mass to be used in heating and cooling the building. An ingenious system of hot and cold water pipes was integrated into the concrete slabs, which slowly heats/cools the mass of concrete after which the floor passively releases this heat/cold to the room.
A pleasant indoor climate follows. A large rainwater cistern ensures that all plumbing runs on rainwater.
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Program: Master plan, new routing and new reception building for the Rubenshuis and surrounding site. The new reception building includes: public reception, multimedia experience centre around Rubens and his home and studio, library, spaces for public activities and back office functions.
Client: City of Antwerp Location: Hopland 13, Antwerp Period: 2017 – 2024
Surface area: 2,600 m2
Status: provisionally completed
Architects: Robbrecht en Daem architecten Heritage architect: Callebaut Architecten Structural engineer: Bureau d’Etudes Greisch Services engineer: HP Engineering Acoustics: Daidalos Peutz
Safety: Eveka bvba Contractor: BAM Interbuild
