Modenatie - Architecture

The ModeNatie building dates back to the end of the 19th century. At first, it housed a clothing shop called 'New England'. In the 20th century, it was home to an electricity company and a sheltered workshop, among others.

In 1999, architect Marie-José Van Hee from Ghent was asked to renovate the building into what we know today asModeNatie. It was a radical renovation, which gave the building a completely new dynamic. The main intervention was the construction of a covered internal passageway between Nationalestraat and Drukkerijstraat. Van Hee also built an impressive wooden staircase, which she refers to as a second, vertical passageway. Both the staircase and the covered passageway are made of merbau wood.

In 2020, the building was once again given a makeover, this time by B-Architecten. They had great respect for Marie-José Van Hee's original signature. They retained the spaciousness of MoMu's famous entrance hall, the atrium and the monumental wooden staircase. About 800 m² of public viewing space were added, including a large, multi-adaptable room and an exhibition space for the permanent collection on Belgian fashion. Thanks to all of these interventions, MoMu is now able to present three different fashion stories spread across some 2,000 m² at peak times.