An exceptionally original installation has been created on the site of the former Herkenrode Abbey in Hasselt, Belgium. The artistic and architectural structure recreates the outlines of buildings that have not survived to the present day. The CLAUSURA project, designed by the duo Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, was created to mark the studio’s 20th anniversary.
20 years of Gijs Van Vaerenbergh
The Gijs Van Vaerenbergh studio was founded in 2006 by architects Pietejan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh. Over the course of these 20 years, it has developed its own distinctive language, balancing architecture, spatial art and reflection on cultural heritage. The artists have been experimenting for years with form, perception and the way space is experienced. Their projects often employ simplification, repetition and illusion, making the buildings appear tangible one moment and almost vanish from view the next. Among their best-known projects is the semi-transparent Doorkijkkerk church in Borgloon, which we wrote about HERE.
Herkenrode Abbey has regained its contours
The most important project of the studio’s anniversary year is CLAUSURA, designed for the historic Herkenrode Abbey. The site was once one of the wealthiest Cistercian monasteries in the whole of the Netherlands. Over the centuries, however, the complex lost its significance, gradually falling into ruin. The fire of 1826 had particularly devastating consequences, after which the once magnificent monument practically ceased to exist. The greatest loss suffered by the abbey during that tragic event was the disappearance of the cloisters surrounding the abbey gardens. It was these cloisters that, for centuries, formed the spiritual and functional heart of the entire complex. Today, all that remains of the former abbey are fragments of the buildings, a chapel, and the remains of the former infirmary and the nuns’ quarters.
Architecture drawn in the air
Designers from Gijs Van Vaerenbergh decided to commemorate Herkenrode’s heyday. However, they did not recreate the historic buildings literally, but instead constructed a huge spatial drawing made of thin steel tubes. The structure reflects the actual dimensions of the non-existent buildings, tracing the lines of their walls, vaults, roofs, windows and towers. The effect changes depending on the viewer’s position. From some vantage points, the steel lines almost blend into the landscape, whilst from others they form a distinct outline of the former buildings.
Herkenrode Abbey given a new lease of life
The preserved fragments of the former monastery’s buildings have been protected from further deterioration and supplemented with lightweight steel structures. In many places, the course of the historic roofs—traces of which were still visible in the walls—has been reconstructed. This has created covered spaces that can be used temporarily. The CLAUSURA project is being carried out in phases. The first part, which is also the largest section of the entire project, will open to visitors on 18 June 2026.
About the studio:
Gijs Van Vaerenbergh is a Belgian studio based in Leuven, founded by Pietejan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, who met whilst studying. The designers undertake projects on various scales, ranging from urban installations and monumental forms to stage designs and functional objects. Their work defies clear categorisation, straddling the boundaries between architecture, art and sculpture. In their work, they combine technical expertise with an experimental approach, focusing on how the viewer perceives space and the relationship between the object and its surroundings. A characteristic feature of their work is the subversion of established architectural conventions through the use of strategies drawn from the visual arts.
project: Gijs Van Vaerenbergh
source: clubparadis.prezly.com
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