Nekkersgat mill

The project consists of restoring the Nekkersgat Mill as well as maintaining and improving its adjoining house. This 650 m² communal property was listed in 1971 as a monument and afterwards in 1977 as a site. After having won the public procurement call, the architecture office Ma² was granted the mission to restore the mill and its surroundings. The project with which the office won the tender defines an environment-friendly restoration method: roof insulation executed with natural materials such as cellulose, and energy from the water mill producing electricity.

The main goal of the project is to re-organize the space and to refurbish all existing buildings on the site in order to create exhibition spaces and multi-purpose rooms.  Striving to give a clear indication of the specificity of a mill, the potential of existing volumes will be  used to create spaces dedicated to exhibits or workshops. In collaboration with a specialised office (JZH & Partners) Ma² analysed a network of wastewater treatment and streamlined ventilation and heating in order to reduce energy waste as much as possible. Because of its isolated location, we wanted to do everything possible to make the mill self-sufficient, both in terms of "consumables" and "waste". The project structure required  meticulous analysis due to its serious structural problems (such as the differential settlement, the structural damage, and the vicinity of the river).