The brewer's tower. The industrial soul that becomes a home

In the heart of Maastricht, the former De Ridder brewery is reborn as a contemporary residence and a place of urban life, preserving its industrial essence intact. A project that transforms memory into living matter.

A new balance between memory and contemporaneity

Within the former Brouwerij De Ridder complex, the architectural restoration project, carried out by Lens°ass architecten, has brought back to life one of the city's symbols: the brewer's tower. Here the challenge was twofold - to integrate new functions without altering the identity of the place, and to maintain the readability of its industrial past. The solution was a delicate play of subtractions and additions, where each intervention interacts with the existing history, revealing it instead of hiding it.

Functional details that tell a story

Vertical accessibility has been achieved by installing an external elevator, intentionally industrial in design, which complements the original staircase without imitating it. Even the systems become part of the architectural language: black cast iron pipes run on the exterior, visible and legible, like veins carrying new lifeblood. Every element is left exposed, as the functioning of the building itself becomes a narrative.

An inverted dwelling, between light and matter

The project unfolds according to an innovative logic, that of an upside-down house: the living spaces are located on the upper floors, culminating in a panoramic terrace that offers a spectacular view of Maastricht, while the bedrooms and technical spaces are progressively arranged downwards. On the main floor, the magnificent brewer's hall has been preserved and made independent, accessible even to third parties. In this operation, as in many architectural projects dedicated to industrial recovery, the key is reversibility: nothing is erased, everything is reinterpreted.

Authentic Materials and Reinvented Light

The material palette faithfully reinterprets the identity of the place: ceramic tiles in oxide green, specially made to recall the original shades; cast iron for the drains; exposed copper for the installations; brushed aluminum for the furnishings. No traditional domestic finishes, but living surfaces, capable of telling time. The only contemporary gesture allowed is a large window in the living area, breaking the rigid grid of existing openings and introducing new light. Where it was not possible to open, polished steel cylinders convey light inside, projecting magical reflections on the walls — like metal lanterns suspended between past and present.

The brewer's tower. The industrial soul that becomes a home

A new balance between memory and contemporaneity

Functional details that tell a story

An inverted dwelling, between light and matter

Authentic Materials and Reinvented Light

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