THE RESTAURATION

The conservatory was built in the 19^th century to the design of architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar. It then consisted of a school building on rue de la Régence, and two adjoining houses for the director and secretary. The magnificent concert hall houses one of Belgium's most valuable organs, an instrument by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, the greatest organ builder of all time.  
The entire ensemble will be restored and adapted to contemporary standards in terms of acoustics, accessibility, safety and comfort. All interventions are done with the greatest respect for the architectural heritage.

The monumental concert hall and foyers will be restored to their original glory. The historical interiors on the ground floor will be restored and furnished for the library and the knowledge centre. A new depot space will be created underground for the extensive collection of historical scores and artefacts.
The five town houses in Wolstraat, with which the conservatory was extended over the years, will also be restored and equipped for the administrative services, musicians' lodges and a guesthouse.

A HARMONIOUS NEW BUILDING

To meet the demand for additional music classes, concert halls and a high-quality air-conditioned preservation depot, an extension is necessary. The new building will replace the current extension with the library, and will be respectfully integrated into the whole.
The two new concert halls will be equipped with the necessary infrastructure to optimise acoustics. The chamber music hall will have a fixed seating arrangement with bleachers and can accommodate 150 spectators. The rehearsal hall is strategically embedded between the historic concert hall and the artists' lodges. The acoustics there are adaptable thanks to sliding wooden paneling and sound-absorbing curtains.
To complement the classrooms and music classrooms in the Cluysenaar Building, the new building will house four double-height masterclasses and high-performance classrooms that keep heavy bass sounds such as percussion in. Atop the new building will be a publicly accessible roof terrace.

A SHORTCUT AND GARDENS

To improve the accessibility of the complex, there will be a thoroughfare: from the honorary courtyard on Regentschapstraat, visitors will be able to walk directly through the courtyard garden to the town houses on Wolstraat. There will also be a monumental staircase on this central axis, in the spirit of the original architect, connecting the historical building with the new building.

The unbuilt areas will be laid out as six gardens, oases of peace and light that increase biodiversity and allow rainwater to infiltrate into the soil. The courtyard at the entrance will be retained. The reading room of the new library will overlook a winter garden inspired by that of the 19^th century. From there, a vertical garden will lead via stairs to a courtyard with cafeteria and terrace. Finally, a patio will be created next to the foyer of the historic concert hall.