“DE GROTE POST” ARTS AND CULTURE CENTRE

This project was a highly technical building which was formerly owned by the former Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone (PTT), converted into a contemporary culture center instead.

The building consists of a large hall accommodating 430 people (incl. Fly tower), a small auditorium, multipurpose rooms, multiple exhibition spaces, production -and rehearsal rooms, offices, …

The thermal optimization of this classified building (built in 1953, designed by architect G. Eysselinck) served from building physics point of view to be approached with great caution: both exterior and interior insulation strongly influence the uniqueness of the monument.

The thermal comfort is improved by the elimination of cold traps and radiation to the outer shell, whereby energy losses by the transmission and infiltration are greatly reduced. Through a thorough ventilation principle, we avoid the need for active cooling. Displacement ventilation and night cooling are concepts embarked upon. The next step was to completely revamp the central heating systems with a thorough optimization of the automatic control system.  The regimes of operation and temperature settings of the various zones were brought in line with the functional programming of the building. The electrical consumption was reduced by utilizing LED technology, light fixtures and integrating the use of presence detection.