Four lock sites on the Escaut - Buildings | Wallonie-Bruxelles Architectures

Project: Four lock sites on the Escaut - Buildings
Architect: Canevas - Architecture et ingénierie

Programme: The construction of four new locks on the River Escaut includes the creation of their control station, the renovation of a pumping station, and the construction of facilities for storing parts and cofferdams.

About: The renovation of the existing industrial buildings is carried out with respect for their original functional architecture.
The new control stations are each located on a very narrow jetty separating the existing lock from the new one. They include various rooms:
-technical rooms for the lock control systems;
-technical room for the building;
-social facilities for the staff;
-control room with a 360° view over the site.
As the control stations are built on an embankment, the concrete floor slab is founded on piles or concrete beams that rest on the lock walls bordering the jetty. The entire structure is built in wood: timber frame for the façades, CLT for the floors and internal walls. The façades are clad in wood, and the roofs are green roofs.
The small volume and compactness of the buildings required the use of very thick thermal insulation in order to meet current Building Energy Performance regulations. The actual control room, at the top of the building, is fitted with electrochromic glazing on all four sides, offering a panoramic view while preventing glare and overheating inside.
All technical installations are powered by electricity. Air and domestic hot water are heated by an air-to-air heat pump. Photovoltaic panels cover the roof of the pumping station.
The storage buildings for the cofferdams are partially buried. Their roof is removable so that the large steel cofferdams can be placed in and taken out.
The brief also includes landscape design studies for the entire site: roads, car parks, guardrails around the lock chambers, fences to secure areas not accessible to the public, grassing, trees, outdoor furniture, and tourist information.