Collection

Vesdre Dam Restaurant

  • Date 1955-1958
  • Address Langesthal, 164 – 1700 Eupen

Built between 1938 and 1950 at the confluence of the Vesdre and the Getzbach, the Eupen Dam was designed to supply the region with drinking water. In 1955, the Ministry of Public Works decided to add a tourist complex to the dam, comprising a restaurant and a viewing tower. The project was entrusted to Roger Bastin, who soon joined forces with Charles Vandenhove and Lucien Kroll. For the two partner architects, this was their first major commission. Working on a steeply sloping site offering panoramic views of the lake, the architects humbly adapted to the natural setting and designed a building that extends horizontally. Resting on stilts, the building features an outdoor, covered ground floor area complete with a bar. Located on the upper floor and facing south, the main restaurant occupies a spacious area enhanced by a mezzanine. Whilst the architects have favoured concrete, glass and stone for the façades, the large dining room is crowned by solid wooden beams supporting the pitched roof.

Whilst the link between landscape and architecture is obvious to architects, the walking route is another element that shapes the project. Access to the building is via a flight of stairs and a ramp leading to a spacious terrace which extends from the restaurant and ultimately leads to the tower, the flagship feature of the tourist infrastructure.

This project was the subject of several preliminary designs that reflect Vandenhove’s fascination with the Neo-Plasticism of De Stijl. The architect eventually abandoned the composition of squares in primary colours to design a fully openwork concrete tower, the top of which is accessible via a spiral staircase.

  • Description of the collection

    Letters, plans, documentation, a collection of photographs…
  • Volumetry 3 archive boxes (0.36 m)
  • Bibliography

    ARON, Jacques, BURNIAT, Patrick, PUTTEMANS, Pierre, L’architecture contemporaine en Belgique, Guide, Éditions de l’Octogone, 1996, p. 133.

    LANOTTE, André (dir.), Roger Bastin architecte, 1913 – 1986, Mardaga, Liège, 2001.

    VERSCHAFFEL, Bart, Charles Vandenhove: Architecture/Architectuur 1954-2014, Lannoo, Tielt 2014.
  • AUTHOR AND DATE OF THE ENTRY Sébastien Charlier, 2021