On his first and only visit to Namahn’s present location before its purchase, Joannes Vandermeulen remembers strolling through the building thinking, “Where does it end?” Thirteen years later, this eclectic, quirky site comprising a neoclassical townhouse and outlying industrial buildings has achieved its promise.
Two phases of renovation works that respect the integrity of the original architectural structures, led by the award winning Belgian architect Wim Cuyvers (the most recent phase ended in spring 2009), bring a new reading of the interiors. The Namahn space has developed organically, matching the rhythm of the company’s changing needs, ideas and relationships, without master plan or predetermined time line. Today the ensemble offers new opportunities to the designers working there and to a wider public…
A walk through the Namahn space… past to present day
The original neoclassical townhouse at the front of the property dates from the 1840s. It was built shortly after Belgian independence, when Brussels’ 14th century fortified ramparts were demolished and new districts sprang up on the pastures surrounding the city. For nearly 150 years, the building was home to Maison Goemaere, printers and publishers to the Belgian Court. As the business flourished, it expanded into surrounding buildings, from where it supplied a variety of publications to subsequent Belgian sovereigns and governments, ranging from scientific journals and parliamentary proceedings to stationery and postage stamps. After the printers closed in the early 1990s, the unwieldy site in a largely residential street lay empty and neglected for several years before Namahn acquired it.
For the architecturally inclined, the Brussels Architectural Heritage Inventory provides more details in French and Dutch.
First Works
Initial renovation transformed the townhouse into offices and an apartment for Joannes and his family. With minimal intervention, the structure of the existing rooms was respected and the few remaining original features restored, like the Art Nouveau staircase in the entrance hall. Architect Wim Cuyvers focused on creating workspaces within existing rooms and developed the individual ‘reflective tables’ for each designer. Inside these black, furniture-like spaces, Wim inserted a mirror to reflect the back of the user’s computer. “I’m always trying to create spaces that make people aware of their existential condition. Since my earliest designs in the 1980s I’ve been using mirrors to achieve this. I see the mirror as an architectural element that reflects and makes us reflect.”
Within two years Namahn moved in. The library was added behind the house afterwards and soon became a favorite place for all those working there and the many visitors who came to attend new Namahn activities, including workshops and the now well-established specialist lectures. But the question remained as to what should be done with the remaining two-thirds of the site. During the years that followed, various projects were designed and discussed, a transparent roof was placed over the central warehouse and other works were carried out to protect the site from further erosion. The space provided a temporary studio for the occasional visiting artist, storage for building materials and bikes. It was in this state when Erik Yaeger arrived as a musician in residence. His involvement with Namahn soon evolved beyond using the space for music and he became Namahn’s logistics manager, closely involved in subsequent transformation work: “Although the architects have had considerable freedom, our role has been to challenge them, to keep reminding them of the functionality, how the building will live once their job is done… It’s been a learning experience for everyone involved!”
Second Works
The latest renovation work has transformed the largest part of the site. A conscious decision was made to respect the heritage of original structures, both in terms of former use (the original floor plan of the printing factory, either kept or replaced with glass walls) and architectural features, like the fanlight window in the hangar and the old office cubicles. New elements introduce diversity for today’s users and play with contrasting sensorial experiences: light/dark, open/closed, private/public.
A central hangar with a huge brick stove and 90m2 wooden dance floor, functions like a village square around which the other spaces are clustered. These include a semi-open design studio with pivoting glass doors, movable wall paneling and modular furniture, a secluded walled garden offering a place for private contemplation, a photographic studio, a soundproofed music studio, a 17 meter deep well (discovered by chance during drainage works), extensive cellars and even a sports area for basketball and ping-pong enthusiasts. Running alongside the hangar are the restored printers' offices, a row of half glazed, wood-panelled cubicles.
Third Space
Somewhere between home and office, the new environment supports the flexible nature of Namahn’s work (in the office, at the client, home work) by providing the designers a variety of work settings to support their needs: a contact point, collaborative work, teamwork, or private focused work. But the Namahn space is not the exclusive domain of the company. It is conceived to accommodate other disciplines and groups from outside. The only condition is that everyone using it should adhere to the Namahn philosophy: these spaces are free to be used but not laid claim to.
Joannes: “The boundaries between the work we do and science and art are becoming less clear. This is reflected in how we’ve conceived our building. Over the years, we’ve discovered that the best ideas come from working across disciplines. By opening our doors to other people, new energy will be brought to our work. Beyond the fun aspect of this, we hope to become better practitioners and designers as a result. There is also a strong educational aspect to the Namahn space: it will accommodate the Namahn workshops and lectures, until now held in the library. Thanks to the extra space available, we now have the opportunity to expand these offerings.”