The building, located on Mutsaardstraat, is in poor condition with wood rot, stability, and moisture problems, despite being a protected monument since 1997. The renovation, starting on November 4, 2026, led by Ontwerpatelier Jannes - DMT architecten and contractor Renotec, is expected to be completed in the spring of 2029.
The works include the careful restoration of the south and west facades, preserving their original ornamentation. The pitched roofs will be renewed with slates and insulation, complemented by new glass sections that do not alter the original shape. Windows and external elements will be restored or replaced, focusing on maintaining historical character and energy efficiency. A new elevator will make the building fully accessible, and fire safety will be significantly improved.
Pascale De Groote, general director of AP University College, emphasizes that the renovation will also provide new possibilities for the spaces, including flexible classrooms for education and exhibitions, and a pleasant refectory. "We are not just renovating facades and roofs," she stated. "We are also giving the spaces new possibilities... We are preserving what is valuable, while ensuring the building can once again function fully as part of this vibrant campus."
The multipurpose project space Studio Stadswaag will also find a place there. Dean Inge Bertels of the Faculty of Design Sciences at the University of Antwerp looks forward to the reopening, which will partially restore the building's museum and public function for presentations, lectures, thesis defenses, and exhibitions.
The Tempelgebouw, originally a former monastery, was transformed into an academy with the first city art museum in the 19th century. After a fire and outgrowing its space, the city decided in 1875 to build a new, larger museum, leading to the relocation of the Academy Museum's collection to the current Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA).
