Abbey Roosenberg in Waasmunster, Belgium was designed by Dutch monk and architect Dom Hans van der Laan. This monumental and iconic building will no longer be used as a monastery. As KU Leuven is going to be a new host, they defined a program that would suit this new special location: a conference and study centre for architects and artists with expectation for it to become a new breeding ground for reflection and new forms of education. Therefore, our task was to make an academic facility that would include existing building and a new extension hosting this new function.

Creating a university congress and study centre on the site of the recently abandoned Abbey of Roosenberg, whilst respecting the work of architect dom Hans van der Laan, forms the core of the challenge. The new addition seeks to blend in with both The Bossche School architecture and the unique gardens and pine forests. The new wings are placed separately from the original abbey, but form a coherent ensemble with it. Honouring Van der Laan's legacy by adopting some of the main architectural themes, such as the gradual entering of the building and the superposition of spaces, whilst not copying its architectural appearance, has been a mayor goal.