Reconversion of 'Nooitrust' convent

This building was constructed in the early 1930s for the Sisters of Our Lady of Namur. The sisters, originally from Antwerp, moved into villa 'Herman', one of the many properties of the Waterkeyn family. When the villa came into the hands of the Sisters through an inheritance, it was used as an elderly home. The demolition of the villa in 1928 sparked the construction of a new elderly home at Nooitrust 4, which recently became the property of the Trappists of Westmalle.

The project is the reconversion of a convent building into a polyvalent center for the Catholic education diocese of Antwerp (KOBA vzw). The building, owned by the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle, was only assigned a temporary function after its vacancy. The project's ambition was to breathe new life into the building in a respectful and honest way by means of sustainable reconversion. The design provides for a multipurpose center: contemplation and versatile spaces that schools, management teams and school boards can use as part of their overall "personal care", as well as offices for employees.