Collection

Hoogfrankrijk

  • Date 1989-1993
  • Address Herbenusstraat, Capucijnenstraat et Hoogfrankrijk – 6211 RR Maastricht

Run in parallel with the Staarlokatie project, the Hoogfrankrijk project is Vandenhove’s second project in the border town of Maastricht. Once again, it was the reputation Vandenhove had earned through his project in Hors Château, which had been completed three years earlier, that brought him to the banks of the Meuse. The project is situated in the former military quarter of Kat Hoog Frankrijk, within the current Staten district, on a spacious plot bounded by Capucijnenstraat, Hoogfrankrijkstraat and Herbenusstraat. Within a block interior primarily occupied by garage bays, the brief was to create 93 dwellings (public and private) in a densely populated area undergoing an urban regeneration scheme. As in the Hors Château project, the architect has employed a variety of housing types, combining terraced houses and apartment blocks, all organised around a spacious inner courtyard covering a large underground car park. The complex is accessible via three entrances on Hoogfrankrijk, Herbenusstraat and Capucijnenstraat. It is worth noting that the side entrances are marked by columns reminiscent of the entrances to the Cour Saint-Antoine in the Hors Château project. Each with its own small garden, the detached houses are spread over three storeys and are covered by a curved zinc roof. Red brick, a material characteristic of the region, is combined with architectural concrete elements that form the lintels and cornices. The highly symmetrical composition of the façades echoes the classical order evoked by the seven-storey apartment block with its pediment-shaped roof. Particular attention has been paid to the interior spaces. The main entrance opens onto a small square featuring a pyramidal sculpture designed by Charles Vandenhove, whilst in the centre of the main square a fountain, also designed by the architect, marks the path. The main entrance on Capucijnenstraat, meanwhile, features a work by Patrick Corillon. On either side of the corridor, the artist has arranged a composition of ceramic tiles – a nod to the local industrial heritage – with one depicting long jump records and the other high jump records.

  • Description of the collection

    Administration, correspondence, plans, specifications, photographic records…
  • Volumetry 8 boîtes d'archives (0,96 m)
  • AUTHOR AND DATE OF THE ENTRY Sébastien Charlier, 2023