Owner: City of Antwerp

Adress: Oude Leeuwenrui 29, 2000 Antwerp

Listed in 1976

Additional information from the Flemish Cultural Heritage Administration

Description: Warehouse, constructed in 1853 near the Antwerp harbour, designed for storage of goods. Burnt down in 1861, and was reconstructed in 1863. The building is very wide, and consists of massive brick masonry. The cellar consists of numerous massive brickwork columns (1×1 m²), ending in vaults. Storeys above the ground consist of wooden and cast iron, columns, bearing massive wooden beams. Currently the building has been restored and is used as the city archive of Antwerp.

The columns in the cellar are founded on wooden poles. The foot of the brickwork columns is below ground water level. Causing an important load of rising damp, and the subsequent salt load and damage in the columns, increased by ventilation in the cellar. Because of the important amount of masonry to be treated, a favourable efficient intervention against rising damp is needed.

Since 2009, measurements have been carried out on this site. This includes:

• Regular measurements of moisture content in the masonry (last measurement was carried out in November 2014)
• An electrokybernetic system was installed years ago, after which the measurements of humidity continued.
• In 2012, one pillar of the building has been injected, as a testcase. Also the moisture content in this pillar has been evaluated until November 2014.

The owner of the building is willing to cooperate in more tests, where other products are injected into the walls. In order to obtain the best price/quality available. As the building has been restored some years ago (without treating the humidity problems), it is not evident to release more budgets for injections of the pillars. This research is therefore greatly welcomed by the owner of the building.