In consortium with other companies, Reynders Bouw was involved in converting the former Hasselt prison into lecture halls for the university’s Faculty of Law. There were a number of major challenges involved, including the excavation of 5,000 m³ of earth inside the prison’s four walls, the provision of 70 posts for the foundations by the prison gate and the suction removal of groundwater from the former Demer basin.
The two lecture halls for students, the outside amphitheatre built with architectural concrete, the 300 m² roof garden and the study rooms where the doors have been replaced by glass doors constitute the main features. Also of note are the panopticum (the prison’s central hall) and the underground corridor connecting to the existing faculty building.
Apart from refurbishing the former prison, the company also constructed a new building for the rector’s office and the university’s administration.