Collection

Charles Vandenhove’s home and studio

  • Date 1961, 1974, 1990
  • Address Rue Chauve-Souris, 60 – 4000 Liège

The growth of Charles Vandenhove’s practice led the architect to leave his offices and home on Rue Bois l’Évêque. For several years already, the architect had had his eye on the plots of land left derelict following the closure of the La Haye coal mine in the 1930s. Purchased in 1961, the plot of approximately 1 hectare might seem unpromising. With its steep gradient, most of it lies within a non aedificandi zone. Yet it also offers numerous advantages. Situated on the heights of Liège, on the edge of the Saint-Gilles plateau, it is ideally south-facing and offers an exceptional view of the city, whilst a narrow strip of land is suitable for building.

Charles Vandenhove makes the most of a slope that, at first glance, would seem very restrictive, allowing the house to blend discreetly into the landscape. ‘Nestled’ amongst the trees, only the garage at the top is visible. Living and working will take place elsewhere, facing the countryside and sheltered from the north. Alongside the garage, a staircase reserved for staff and clients leads to the first floor and the workshop, flanked by Charles Vandenhove’s office, which features a work by Luis Feito painted on site. The drawing room extends outwards onto a large north-facing patio. A few brick walls and a concrete staircase create an alternative route to the house, leading to a hall and a staircase descending to the lower floor reserved for the couple. Blending seamlessly with the garden, this floor comprises, in addition to the usual living spaces, a beautiful library situated right next to the master bedroom. The architect’s design favours brick and concrete in simple, flat-roofed volumes. This material-led aesthetic is evident both inside and out. The design of the afzelia window frames, meanwhile, recalls the work the architect had carried out a few years earlier at the Inichar market hall.

The firm’s growth in the 1970s led the architect to expand the studio. A large glass roof – the structural design of which served as the prototype for the glass roof of the University Hospital – was installed above the private areas in 1972. The architectural practice’s move to the Torrentius premises led the architect to rethink the use of the professional spaces, which were henceforth reserved as a home for the family of Prudent de Wispelaere, a long-standing colleague of Vandenhove. A final extension, carried out by Vandenhove himself, was completed in 1990 with the construction of a floor above the garage.

  • Description of the collection

    Plans, specifications, photographic portfolio…
  • Volumetry 4 boîtes d'archives, 1 boîte de photographies (0.48 m)
  • Bibliography

    Numéro spécial consacré à l’architecte Ch. Vandenhove, La Maison, n° 5, mai 1967, p. 148-149.

    « Atelier et maison de l’architecte à Liège 1962-1964 » in Architecture, n° 93, janvier-février 1970, p. 694-696.

    BEKAERT, Geert, VERSCHAFFEL, Bart, DERCON, Chris, Charles Vandenhove : art et architecture, Tournai, La Renaissance du Livre, 1998, p. 36-38.

    BEKAERT, Geert, « Charles Vandenhove, agrandissement de sa maison personnelle, Liège » in A+, n° 17, avril 1975, p. 32-39.

    BEKAERT, Geert, « Maison Charles Vandenhove / Liège » in Charles Vandenhove, une architecture de la densité, Liège, Pierre Mardaga éditeur, 1985, p. 53-58.

    BALAU Raymond, “La Maison Vandenhove” in Les nouvelles du Patrimoine, Bruxelles, n°94, octobre-novembre-décembre 2001, p.31-32.
  • Auteur et date de la notice Sébastien Charlier, 2021