Casino Ostend
The design for the renovation of the Kursaal of the architects’ (external) Storme-Van Ranst “: http: //www.storme-vanranst.be/ reconcile preserving the original architectural qualities with optimal and renewed exploitation
Visitors enter the building through an entrance hall with a versatile character in favor of conferences and events. Through the stately stairway they are led from this room to the majestic hall of honor. The most significant interference is to lower the stage floor, together with the stage tower. This increases the capacity of the concert hall and the architectural proportions of this space will be restored.
The scene surface and the new technical room equipment are such that almost all productions will be possible with a limitless technicality. The current internal streets are covered with glass for circulation and evacuation around to leave the room smoothly.
Four important catering functions are provided in the building: on the covered terrace, ansluitend the current Montrose room, reading room, and a ground location at the Monaco Square. Attention is also paid to the nightly morphology of the building. The building physical state of the building was so bad that both the façade materials and interior parts were urgently eplacing.
Exterior
The facade, mainly built of concrete, stone and aluminum joinery is almost completely redone with the same materials. The noses of the concrete cornices be fired and re-cast. The concrete parapets will be replaced as well. The aluminum joinery including glazing is replaced in its entirety. The stone, with the exception of the south façade (side Kapucijnenstraat) replaced.
The evacuation and operational capabilities are enhanced by a limited extension of the building. In this perspective, the current internal streets are covered with glass and lead to a new stage construction that in turn is placed in a new glass volume near the stage tower. So the roof will also be re-occupied by the reconstruction of the concrete canopies and transparent roof.
Earlier extension of the stage tower is permanently removed and brought back to the original height. On the eastern slope is replaced by a new covered loading and unloading dock, combined with access to the dike parking around the Kursaal. To sum up can be stated that outside the local retention of the underlying concrete construction, the entire facade shell is renewed.
Interior
The most important change is in lowering the scene of the concert hall with the stage tower. This makes the current floor of the concert hall must also be removed to make way for a new gradijn which opens at the level of the hall of honor. The masonry wall of the current scene will be removed, to be replaced by a glass whole, the view from the hall of honor at sea again restores honor.
The current internal streets are covered with glass for circulation and evacuation around to leave the room smoothly. Other interventions should increase the possibilities of exploitation of its infrastructure. For example, an additional intermediate floor will be provided for the accommodation of a considerable number of sanitary facilities. Also, there will be executed in the current Ambassador Hall additional slabs to create additional usable area.
Technically, the building is completely dismantled. The technical areas are partially relocated, with a total renewal of the technical installations as a result. The entire theater infrastructure is also replaced, including theater elevators, sound and light, theater draw, technical bridges etc.
Also, within a variety of materials will need to be replaced. Especially the typical carpet is in urgent need of replacement. For the curtains will have to consider whether they can be cleaned and repaired or must be replaced. They, moreover, are an integral part of the protected interior.
