Redevco Retail Belgium, investor and developer of retail properties in Belgium, has begun renovating and restoring the facades and roofs of the prestigious INNO building on Meir in Antwerp.
The INNO property now consists of two buildings. The Meir 84 building designed by architect Willem van Oenen, dates back to 1903 and used to be the Moyson electrical store. It was built in neo-Flemish Renaissance style. The Meir 82 building was designed by architect Jozef Hertogs in 1901 and is a fine example of a Baroque-inspired eclectic style. The building was home to the Tietz department store at the beginning of the twentieth century. Both buildings are listed architectural heritage sites in Flanders.
To restore the building to its original state, renovation work started in early February with the removal of the canopy built in 1957 and the demolition of the ground-floor facades. Once this has been done, both facades will disappear behind scaffolding for 18 months. Later this year, work will commence on the restoration of the roofs and monumental domes.
PIT Antwerpen, based in Kapellen, was contracted for the restoration of the exterior joinery. Restoration and renovation of the facades is being carried out by the Brasschaat-based company Goedleven, part of Group Monument.
Eric Van Dyck, MD Redevco Belgium, commented: “This project fits in nicely with Redevco Belgium’s sustainability policy. Preparing a building that goes back more than 100 years to last another century is one of the purest forms of sustainability.”
INNO, tenant and manager of the building, will stay open to the public during the restoration work. The interior of the store – covering around 19,000 m² – was fully renovated by INNO and Redevco in 2008-2009.
Work on the facades, roofs and domes is being partly subsidized by the city of Antwerp and the Flemish government.
Source: Redevco
