BRUSK
High Safety Standards
In a prestigious project like BRUSK, safety comes first. When it comes to fire prevention, extinguishing, and burglary protection, the bar and expectations were set exceptionally high. The art storage areas, restoration workshops, and public exhibition spaces all had to be secured to the maximum extent — without compromising on aesthetics and functionality.
This combination of requirements — fire safety, burglary protection, and seamless architectural integration — is both rare and complex. That’s precisely where Altebra’s added value came in. As a Total Fire Protection provider, we effortlessly succeeded in covering the full scope.
Altebra as the Preferred Partner
Thanks to our extensive expertise in fire protection and intrusion prevention systems, Altebra was involved in the project from an early stage of the construction process. Together with contractor CIT Blaton and the architects, we developed solutions that fit both technically and visually perfectly with the design and specific needs of BRUSK.
“For the City of Bruges and the architect, it was crucial that all safety provisions were aesthetically integrated into the overall design. We responded to this with custom-made, compact built-in doors, sliding gates that often include an emergency exit, and roller shutters up to 4 meters high to easily move large artworks. We made sure everything blended visually and seamlessly with the architecture.”
Filip Van Meerhaeghe, Commercial Director at Altebra.
A Total Approach: Compartmentation, Extinguishing, and Aesthetics
BRUSK has become a fine showcase of Altebra’s in-house expertise. We provided a comprehensive compartmentation system with fire-resistant and burglar-resistant doors, sliding gates, and roller shutters. In the areas where artworks are stored — representing tens of millions of euros in paintings — we installed doors and gates with a burglary resistance up to RC4 and a fire resistance up to 60 minutes.
We also supplied two advanced gas extinguishing systems for the most critical zones of the building. In these spaces, water-based extinguishing is out of the question due to the risk of damaging the artworks. The solution was a nitrogen gas extinguishing system (connected to the fire detection system) that is automatically activated in the event of a fire through precisely positioned nozzles. The inert gas displaces the oxygen, extinguishing the fire without causing any collateral damage.
As mentioned earlier, aesthetics also played a leading role in this project. The compartmentation systems were therefore discreetly built in, with customized RAL colors and minimal installation space, making them barely noticeable. This ensures that BRUSK’s sleek, minimalist character is fully preserved.
Tight Timeline, Flawless Delivery
Finally, it’s worth noting that despite the wide range of security systems that had to be installed, the timeline for the project was extremely tight. From the awarding of the contract in October 2024 to the pre-opening in September 2025, less than a year passed. Yet we managed to deliver all systems — including engineering, production, installation, and inspections — on time and in full compliance with all standards.
A Masterpiece of a Project
With BRUSK, we once again demonstrate our strength as a Total Fire Protection specialist. From fire compartmentation and gas extinguishing to burglary protection and aesthetic integration: we handled every aspect with the utmost care. The result is truly a masterpiece.
Johan Van Halenwijk, project manager at CIT Blaton, sums it up nicely: