FORM / STUDIO

08 / 12Brussels, BelgiumCultural2024

Gallery 04

A very long gallery with white walls, ceiling strip lights and a polished grey floor.

A depot converted into a gallery for contemporary painting and sculpture. The walls are new, the floor is sealed, and the daylight has been measured, so hanging decisions are the only ones left.

Location
Brussels, Belgium
Year
2024
Project type
Cultural
Status
Completed
Surface area
452 m²
Scope
Adaptive reuse, lighting, public fit-out
Lighting
Bureau L. (fictional)
Services
Bureau S. (fictional)

Fictional project. Photographs are illustrative stock and do not show a building by FORM Studio.

Existing structure

Three parallel roof bays with north-facing lights were the reason to take this building. They were reglazed with diffusing panels and given blackout blinds that close bay by bay. On an overcast day, the rooms need almost no electric light before four o’clock.

D02Section A–ASectionIllustrative drawing
Section A–A: illustrative sectionIllustrative section cut through the building, 6.9 metres to the highest point, with the retained structure shown in grey.Room B+0.00+4.60+5.4005 m■ Retained ■ New
A tall white gallery with roof lights above an upper gallery and a shining floor.
Fig. 1 Room A, with the roof bays and upper plant gallery.
A white room with a dark floor and bright ceiling light, seen through an opening.
Fig. 2 Room C, the smaller black-floored room for film and work on paper.
A wide empty hall with reflective floor and ranks of large steel-framed windows.
Fig. 3 Room B before a hang, with the street-side windows left unscreened.
D01Ground floorPlanIllustrative drawing
Ground floor: illustrative floor planIllustrative plan of about 25.00 by 18.00 metres containing Room A, Room B, Room C, Entrance, Book room, Store and loading. The numbered key beside the drawing lists each room.1234569.005.002.009.0025.0010.004.004.00AAN05 m
  1. 1Room A156.9 m²
  2. 2Room B87.7 m²
  3. 3Room C70.0 m²
  4. 4Entrance18.9 m²
  5. 5Book room18.9 m²
  6. 6Store and loading85.7 m²

Circulation

A visitor passes from the entrance into a small book room, then through one four-metre opening into Room A. There is no fixed route after that. Art handling has a separate door and a clear run to the store, so loading in never closes the gallery.

The corner of an empty room where white walls meet a grey concrete floor.
Fig. 4 New wall on the old slab.
A concrete upstand along a dim empty room with a white wall.
Fig. 5 Concrete upstand at the loading ramp.
A curved white wall and a very dark, polished floor in strong contrast.
Fig. 6 The curved wall at the entrance to Room C.
The end wall of a long gallery with large windows and rows of fluorescent lights.
Fig. 7 End of Room B.

Material schedule

  1. M01

    Plasterboard over ply

    All hanging walls

    Double-layered so a heavy canvas can be hung anywhere without hunting for a stud.

  2. M02

    Sealed concrete

    All floors

    The depot’s own slab, ground lightly and sealed. Repairs and old drain lines remain visible.