De Keverberg Castle

One of the most interesting parts of the project has been bringing an ancient building into the modern era. The glass roof over the courtyard is bedecked in small solar panels, which not only produce electricity, but also shade the space from the summer sun. The whole structure is kept at a comfortable temperature by high-tech, sustainable heating and cooling systems that draw energy from the ground. Whilst these sustainable features are increasingly becoming standard practice in contemporary buildings, they seem far more cutting edge when they’re offset by a 1000 year old fragment of wall! Perhaps the best example of this meeting of old and new is the onion-shape crowning the roof. We have photographic evidence that one sat on the pre-war roof, but it was pure (and bizarre) decoration. Now, the replacement doubles as a sophisticated heat-transfer unit, so that heated air is not lost in the name of ventilation.

And so, atop the many shards of the past, we have added another layer to the story of Kasteel de Keverberg. It is a contemporary one, both aesthetically and technologically, and hopefully will serve as the starting point for many more.