The Sint-Jozef church of Battel (district of Mechelen) will be reconverted into micro-brewery ‘Batteliek’. Experiments will take place: beverages with and without alcohol are produced on the spot. Smaller production lines, more variation. The church, a place of inner prospect, meditation and exaltation will be opened up. Welcoming locals, bikers, … and other pilgrims.
The story of this Church starts before 1580 as ‘Heilige Kruiskapel’. Destroyed and rebuilt in 1798 under the name ‘Sint-Jozefkerk’. In 1860 the Church was moved to it’s nowadays location. In 1964 the Church was heavily renovated after the idea’s the second Vatican Council, ‘the aggiornamento’. Historical columns were removed and a steel truss structure, finished with wooden slats, was added.
Because of the heritage value of the church, we aim to work with a reversible infill for the interior: a light steel structure, like a skeleton within the shell of the church. For the formation and implantation of this steel skeleton, we refer back to the origins of the church before the interventions of 1964 (with columns and vaults). The wooden slat ceiling will be removed to reveal the existing ingenious steel truss structure behind. This matches the new steel interventions in the interior. Furthermore, the openings of the windows are extended to the floor, where new clear glass will be placed under the existing stained-glass windows. The typology of the inward church will be more fordable.
Watch the announcement video of het Anker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGd6mPRXEY
