Meeting & Convention Centre, Bruges
designers:
Souto de Moura arquitectos and META architectuur
client:
Stad Brugge
general contractor:
THV D&E-CFE GBW
location:
Brugge Beursplein
gross surface (m2):
21 000
status:
completed
After a competition procedure and intensive negotiations, Stad Brugge chose to award this ‘design & build’ contract to the Souto de Moura – META – CFE stock exchange partnership.
A new bivalent building has been erected on the site of the old trade fair hall. The new building houses an exhibition hall and conference facilities. Both building parts are designed as one unit, but can be used completely separately. The exhibition and conference areas merge on the ground floor, but each has its own structural logic.
EXHIBITION HALL
The exhibition hall consists of a steel structure supported by 6 massive round columns. The roof is consisted of two types of trusses, primary and secondary trusses. The floor slabs, prestressed hollow core slabs, are supported by tertiary trusses, which are positioned alternating high and low in the middle zone (longitudinal section). Doing so inverted patios are created through which light can penetrate. The secondary trusses are supported by two primary trusses that transfer the loads to the concrete columns. Despite the higher loads, these primary trusses have the same appearance as the secondary trusses. All around the high areas of the roof (the patios) a quasi-equal design can be perceived.
CONGRESS BUILDING
Unlike the exhibition hall, the conference area, is a massive structure with concrete walls and a more classic steel structure consisting of columns and beams. The structure has four levels, with the ground floor receding from the façade in order to form the characteristic cantilever of about 7m across the entire width of the building. Besides the more classic structure, the entire cantilevering façade is supported by a welded beam at level +2, across the entire façade and supported by the four cantilevering main concrete walls. Additional support is provided by two welded cantilevered beams. The prominent facade with brickwork columns is supported by internal vertical (steel) trusses that are also suspended from the welded facade beam.
© photography Filip Dujardin
client:
Stad Brugge
general contractor:
THV D&E-CFE GBW
location:
Brugge Beursplein
gross surface (m2):
21 000
status:
completed
