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master plan presentation
In the summer of 2025, a master plan was finalised that provides insight into the infrastructural future possibilities of our site. This master plan is the result of a lengthy substantive and construction-technical study and was realised by Rooilijn Architectuur and Hop.regenerative architecture ism Team Vlaams Bouwmeester and with the support of Avansa (neighbourhood participation project), vzw Volle Grond and was made possible by an allocation of a sectoral investment subsidy for cultural infrastructure from the Flemish Community. Ihkv the realisation of this master plan, Rif organised, in collaboration with Avansa, five consultation moments in 2025 for neighbourhood residents and the broad artistic Rif community to brainstorm together on the music theatre workshop of the future. In total, over the five evenings, we counted 145 participants ranging from local residents, artists, permanent tenants, the architecture teams and the Avansa team. All the needs, wishes and concerns of this large group of stakeholders were included in the final master plan. A constructive dialogue was also started with the City of Mortsel with a view to a future renovation of our site.
Rooilijn & HOP.office
Rooilijn, in collaboration with HOP.office, wins the Oproep van Team Vlaams Bouwmeester for the masterplan Theaterwerkplaats Walpurgis in Mortsel.
This vibrant residency venue is a haven for development, research, experimentation, creation and presentation of musical theatre.
The aim is to reorganise the existing infrastructure into a greener, more regenerative and biodiverse place based on the Zoop model.
Creating a large roof garden with semi-public character will play a crucial role in this and strengthen the connection with the neighbourhood.
Together with Think Bar, Bureau Bouwtechniek, Bureau De Fonseca and Full Ground.
selection of final architectural firms
16 December 2024, the three design teams will present their plan of approach and bid to the Walpurgis team and Nico Schaafsma as representative of the board. The chosen firm, after RVB approval, will be commissioned to draw up a master plan that provides answers to the questions described in our project definition. Specifically, this is not yet a drawn-out architectural plan, but a guiding master plan and a cost estimate.
formatting project definition
- Creation of a ‘project definition’ in collaboration with Team Vlaams Bouwmeester to communicate our request as concretely and clearly as possible to the 3 chosen architectural firms.
- Site visit of the 3 chosen architectural firms
positive assessment grant sector priorities
In mid-October, we received news that our grant application for phase 1 had been positively assessed.
We applied for €85,000, of which €79,000 was positively assessed. So we are very happy with that. This amount constitutes 60% of all subsidisable measures in phase 1. The remaining 40% and some non-grantable costs will be covered from accumulated financial reserves.
Start-up trajectory olv Team Flemish Master Builder:
- Call for interested parties to draw up a master plan for our music theatre workshop: 26 architectural firms responded positively to this call
- Selection of 3 architectural firms that most closely matched our vision (selection ism Team Vlaams Bouwmeester)
investment grant application
Request Flemish investment subsidy - Sectoral Priorities (sustainability):
Phase 1 focuses on the installation of external wall insulation and 154 m2 of green facades to the entrance building, greening the entrance area (front garden), installation of rainwater cisterns for 30,000 litres of rainwater and investigation of the load-bearing capacity of the foundations and possible reinforcement of the foundation of the entrance building. The grantor envisages a period of six years to carry out these works. Walpurgis would like to start implementing phase 1 as soon as possible to increase the project's visibility to the neighbourhood and potential investors.
preliminary studies
We commissioned some feasibility studies last year to prepare the grant file:
- A stability study of the roofs by engineering firm BiVT
- Full Ground/PAKT conducted a soil survey in the access area. In addition, water consumption was analysed and a moisture balance was drawn up. This determined the number of litres of rainwater needed for an entire roof garden to ensure optimal plant growth and to cover longer dry periods.
- An architectural preliminary study as a function of consultation with the town of Mortsel's spatial planning department by JW ARCHITECTEN. The city of Mortsel responded mostly positively to our plans, supporting the vision of making our site a climate-robust place.
