The Grand residential building

The project looks to the history of The Grand Hotel, caring for its distinctive qualities while understanding the needs for it to survive into the future. The surviving historic fabric will be carefully restored, such as the entrance and the original façade features. The graceful bays and terraces that were an extension of the public space along with the Grand public rooms that were destroyed and filled in during the 1950s will be reinstated. The apartments, situated on the upper floors, will be respectful to the original structure of the hotel. Lost elements, such as the tower and the domes, will be reinstated, drawing inspiration from the playful original design.

The building will grow in scale with an additional four storeys to regain its status as a landmark on the Nieuwpoort beachfront. The building itself retains much of its decorative façade (which was granted protection status in 1981) and so the extension requires a sensitive understanding of heritage value and entails reinterpretation and invention as well as restoration. The new design does not seek to impose a style or signature to the building, nor does it try to create a contrast between the historic fabric and its new additions. In this respect it can be seen as part of a largely forgotten tradition of adapting and extending historic buildings; engaging directly with the original fabric to allow a nuanced reading of the building’s history.