Abbey Kortrijk: Where Stark History Meets the Modern Spirit in a Flemish Architectural Masterpiece

In the heart of the Belgian city of Kortrijk, a Flemish gem with cobblestone streets and red-brown brick facades, an ambitious cultural project rises from a rich historical foundation. It is the Abbey Kortrijk art museum, newly opened at a cost of $14.8 million. This is not just a new building but an architectural dialogue between the past of a 16th-century abbey and the future of contemporary art, announcing the birth of a new “cultural living room” for the city.

Kortrijk: A Living Historical Canvas Telling a Story of Identity

Kortrijk stands as an authentic witness to the history of Flanders. Its Gothic Town Hall, the churches of Saint Martin and Our Lady, and the UNESCO-listed belfry attest to a rich cultural heritage. The site that centuries ago witnessed the 1302 Battle of the Golden Spurs, where Flemish farmers triumphed over the French king’s cavalry, now hosts a new kind of battle: one to redefine identity through art and architecture. The Groeninge Abbey, founded by Cistercian nuns in the Middle Ages, was part of this story and now shoulders a new mission.

Abby Kortrijk — The Barozzi Vega wing (top of page) is part of a contemporary museum located in the former Groningen monastery.

A Journey of Transformation: From Sacred Abbey to Art Museum

Converting the historic Groeninge Abbey complex into a museum of contemporary art was not merely a restoration; it was a complete reimagining of the role the building could play in the modern city’s life. In the late 1970s, the city acquired the abbey, which consisted of three main wings: the church from 1595, the better-preserved dormitory from 1597-1598, and the connecting wing containing a 19th-century chapel of the Poor Clares.

The 1980s saw a first attempt, led by architect Eric De Meyere, to transform the site into the “Kortrijk 1302” museum, which involved inserting a massive metal structure inside the church and adding new wings. But three decades later, a new vision achieved a qualitative leap.

Design Philosophy: Respecting the Past, Building the Future

This complex transformation was led by a design alliance featuring the world-renowned Spanish firm Barozzi Veiga, in collaboration with local firm Tab Architects and heritage specialists Koplamp Architecten. The challenge presented in the public competition was to embody “Flemish identity” while providing a vibrant space capable of hosting a diverse cultural program.

The designers adopted a philosophy based on restoring the original clarity of the historical fabric. Rather than treating the previous additions as part of the site’s history, they saw them as “aggressive” elements that obscured the original spatial relationships. They were removed to restore a clear view of the three abbey buildings in their natural relation to each other.

Intelligent Solutions: Humility Underground, Boldness Above

The architects faced a genuine dilemma: how to provide adequate gallery space within historic buildings not designed for this purpose? The solution was both intelligent and humble: excavating two main underground galleries beneath the complex’s eastern and western courtyards. This decision not only preserved the visual integrity of the historic buildings but also provided neutral exhibition spaces ideal for environmental control and lighting.

To ensure functional integration, a new staircase and elevator were inserted into the chapel wing, providing easy vertical access between all levels. However, the boldest intervention was the construction of the new pavilion in the garden, which became the contemporary face of the museum and a strong visual signal of its presence in the city’s urban landscape.

The Visitor Experience: A Journey Between Intentional Contrasts

The museum offers visitors an immersive experience based on an intentional contrast between old and new. The historic buildings—the church, dormitory, and chapel—were renovated with a contemporary touch but a minimalist aesthetic. The interiors feature pristine white walls, creating a neutral backdrop for the artworks, with sophisticated lighting and integrated climate control systems.

In the church, the massive metal structure was removed to make way for a flood of natural light, now admitted through clear windows and softened by huge white curtains when necessary. The dormitory, the best-preserved building in the complex, was treated with greater respect, with its original wooden beams exposed and its 16th-century terracotta floor tiles highlighted.

The new pavilion, however, represents the other end of the design spectrum. Externally, it stands as an unequivocal, clearly modernist architectural volume. Inside, the space is bathed in a vibrant red, a bold nod to Flemish history, with considered roof openings that draw in natural light to create dramatic atmospheres that change with the sun’s movement.

Materials and Details: A Dialogue Between Eras and Techniques

The new pavilion features an innovative structural system of concrete blockwork, entirely clad in intensely textured black brick sourced sustainably from across the Dutch border. A material composed of 60% recycled demolition waste—mostly ceramic—it not only provides excellent weather resistance but also creates a material dialogue with the historic brick of the abbey.

Instead of shaping bricks to fit the pavilion’s complex curves, the designers chose to cut individual pieces, creating a smooth, homogeneous surface more akin to sculpture than traditional masonry. This treatment, combined with the use of dark mortar, gives the pavilion a solid, monolithic appearance that transforms into a changing visual sculpture in the daylight.

Sustainability and Function: An Integrated Vision for the Future

The project goes beyond aesthetics, representing a model of sustainability through the use of recycled materials and energy-efficient design solutions. The new pavilion serves not only as an exhibition space but also as a reception area, café, and event space, with seating that can spill out into the surrounding garden, literally embodying the “city’s living room” concept that was central to the design vision.

✦ Archup Editorial Vision

The article examines the architectural transformation of the Abbey Kortrijk museum, which blends the restoration of a historic abbey with the addition of a contemporary pavilion to create a new cultural entity. The design raises questions about the priority of preserving archaeological value versus imposing a stark contemporary language, as the removal of previous additions erased a historical layer with documentary value for the site’s evolution. The decision to bury most exhibition spaces underground reduces the museum’s visual presence in the urban landscape and relies entirely on artificial lighting, potentially weakening the visitor’s connection to the historical and temporal context. Furthermore, the neutral, almost clinical character of the rehabilitated spaces within the historic buildings risks stripping them of their inherited spiritual essence, converting them into standard typological gallery spaces. However, the most convincing design decision lies in deploying the new pavilion as a connecting facade element, where it acts as a physical and visual link between the main courtyard and the garden, redefining the flow of movement and the relationships between the complex’s disparate spaces.