Work on Abby started in Kortrijk

After the demolition of the former museum 1302, the start of Abby’s construction work was given in mid-November.”

“With Abby we will be able to realize the missing link in Kortrijk’s cultural infrastructure: a high-quality site that will also allow us to reach top level in the field of visual arts! A solid investment of 16.7 million euros, of which 7.5 million euros from Flemish resources” , says Axel Ronse, alderman for culture in Kortrijk.

The works will last until June 2024. Abby will therefore be able to open its doors in the autumn of 2024.

In the first phase, the focus is completely underground. There will be state-of-the-art exhibition halls that will be perfectly climatologically equipped to display top works from home and abroad. First, the construction pit is sheeted with CSM walls, which means that slots are milled out in the soil and then filled with concrete so that a concrete wall is created in the ground. The groundwater table will be lowered later and the construction pit will be further excavated to a depth of 8 meters before the cellars themselves can be made.

During these underground works, works will also be carried out within the protected buildings that will also be part of Abby. Archaeological research is also continuing.

At the end of August 2023, the works will move above ground: after the underground exhibition spaces have been covered, the shell phase of the new pavilion will follow.