Type de collection: Archives

The design for a pavilion at Ghent University marks a significant achievement for Charles Vandenhove. Above all, it reflects the architect’s historical ties to the great ‘school’ of architectural historians for which the Flemish university is renowned. Since the start of his career, the architect has regularly sought the input of critics such as Geert Bekaert, Francis Strauven and Bart Verschaffel, all of whom are professors at Ghent University. The pavilion is, therefore, the realisation of his desire to offer students and researchers – as well as the general public – this exceptional collection of contemporary art that he has amassed throughout his life. Bequeathed in 2012, the collection has been made available to the STAK (Studiecentrum Architectuur & Kunst), which was established for this purpose. The construction of the building, undertaken by the architectural firm Vandenhove & Associés, is situated in a strategic location, in the immediate vicinity of the Boekentoren (architect: Henry van de Velde), in the university district. The pavilion extends over two storeys above the ground floor, which houses a 120-seat auditorium and a reception area. The first floor accommodates a spacious study and work area for researchers and students, whilst the top floor is reserved for exhibitions. Natural light, entering from above, is controlled by a system of sunshades with external movable blinds designed to protect the exhibited collections. Dominated by concrete and small-grained granite, the façades are characterised by their simplicity, with openings reserved for the reception, lounge and study areas. Continuing his tradition of collaborating with artists, Charles Vandenhove, shortly before his death, commissioned Koen Van Den Broeck to create a mural for the auditorium walls; in 2023, Van Den Broeck will execute a mural there inspired by Matisse’s work in the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence.

A leading institution in Liège’s cultural landscape, Créahm (Creativity and Intellectual Disability) supports and showcases all forms of art produced by people with disabilities. Founded in 1979, the organisation is housed in historic premises on Quai Saint-Léonard; these buildings, with their varying floor levels typical of 19th-century houses, are ill-suited to the needs of its users. In 2013, Charles Vandenhove and Prudent De Wispelaere were commissioned to design the new building to be constructed within the Vivegnis cultural hub (comprising, in particular, the E2N and the RAVI), situated not far from the old premises. The plot is spacious and allows for a building set back from the road. The new building is arranged across two successive levels. The ground floor mainly houses the creative spaces, namely three studios (engraving, painting, sculpture), a large auditorium with a capacity of 94 seats, as well as a kitchen and a dining hall. The first floor comprises a multimedia room, a meeting room and offices. Dominated by brick, the building follows in the footsteps of the Terrasses de Saint-Gilles, drawing even more explicit inspiration from the work of Louis Kahn and, in particular, the First Unitarian Church in Rochester. In this final architectural venture (Charles Vandenhove passed away shortly before the project’s inauguration), the project’s architects drew on the historical legacy that had made the practice’s reputation, and the involvement of a visual artist was a natural choice. Michel Petiniot, a collaborator with Creahm since 1989, designed the motifs printed on the panelling and glazing on the ground floor.

Founded in the 1950s, the non-profit organisation Sans Logis aims to provide emergency accommodation for the homeless. The organisation runs two shelters, one for women and children, and the other for men. The construction of the latter replaces ageing, energy-inefficient facilities situated on the hills above Liège, which were demolished to make way for a brand-new building. Funded by private donations, the building faces onto Rue Saint-Laurent and is accessible via two main entrances: the first reserved for residents, the second – which is accessible by vehicle – dedicated to service providers. The layout is very simple, with communal and administrative areas concentrated on the ground floor. The design of the residents’ quarters perfectly meets the need to provide a refuge from the hardships of life on the streets. At the rear, a dining room, a games room, a staff room and a lounge fan out and open onto the tranquillity of a lawned garden. The first floor comprises family and shared bedrooms, whilst the second floor provides several single bedrooms reserved for men. Each accommodation unit has a terrace that can be enclosed by a wooden shutter that slides up and down. The entire building can accommodate 64 beds. The attention to detail in the interior spaces is particularly evident in the work of the artist Jacques Charlier, whose depiction of the twelve signs of the zodiac adorns the panelling on the ground floor. The façades, characterised by their great simplicity, combine architectural concrete and timber beneath a flat roof.

With the Terrasses de Saint-Gilles project, Vandenhove is (almost) coming full circle… Located a stone’s throw from his home, the ‘Terrasses de Saint-Gilles’ is the last residential development built by the architect for a private developer. For several years, the architect had been observing the development of this vast plot of land, which was initially occupied by a detached house and later converted into a care home for people with disabilities. Left derelict, the site – which stretches out along the crest of the hill – was purchased in 2009 by Vandenhove, who embarked on a property development project in collaboration with the Eiffage Group. Together with his team, he designed three blocks comprising 35 flats above a concrete slab housing a car park. A covered gallery at the rear provides access to the flats. The architect has designed various types of flats, all organised around the lift and stairwells: on the ground floor and first floor, one- to three-bedroom flats; on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors, three-bedroom flats; and on the top two floors, large four-bedroom flats. Logically, the sleeping areas are situated at the rear and on the north side, so that the living areas (living room and dining room) face south. All the flats feature beautiful terraces offering breathtaking views of the valley and the town. Whilst the project is driven by a property development agenda, it nevertheless stands in stark contrast to the neighbouring Amelinckx buildings. Les Terrasses de Saint-Gilles presents two distinct faces. Facing south, the façades are arranged in successive recesses and feature brick, architectural concrete, glass and timber, not unlike certain features of the Céramique building constructed in Maastricht shortly beforehand. The masonry partition walls topped with architectural concrete, which give rhythm to the façade, are also reminiscent of his earlier works, such as his own home built in 1963. Yet, in the twilight of his career, Vandenhove did not succumb to complacency. On the contrary, the façade he designed for the north side draws on new influences. It is chiefly here, but also within the covered gallery, that an original composition emerges, showcasing brick in massive forms with an almost Kahn-like expression. Thus, at the age of 87, Vandenhove demonstrated that he was still capable of reinventing himself!

 

It was following an international competition that Charles Vandenhove took on this housing scheme located in an ‘upmarket’ village south of Haarlem. The project involves the construction of three apartment blocks and the conversion of a historic building housing a congregation of Franciscan nuns. The congregation is experiencing a gradual decline in its numbers and intends to make use of the land it owns in the surrounding area. The property development, aimed at a wealthy clientele ‘aged 55 and over’, is to comprise 80 flats in the new buildings and 10 flats in the historic building, which the sisters intend to leave in order to move into one of the new developments. With a blank slate of land and no particular constraints, Vandenhove has arranged the new blocks on either side of the old building and around a water feature. Each built over an underground car park, the buildings extend over three storeys. Each level comprises six two-bedroom flats arranged around the circulation spaces. These combine the stairwell with the lift shaft, which is housed in a glass-brick silo – a subtle architectural touch that already hints at the high standard of the homes. Favouring the use of brick, Vandenhove designed façades punctuated by loggias, ensuring attractive outdoor access for the residents. The formal design features solid masonry blocks pierced by arched windows, a style that foreshadows the Terrasses de Saint-Gilles project launched two years later.

This project is a delicate undertaking… How does one create a high-quality space within a complex characterised by such architectural poverty… The Maurice-Dufrasne Stadium is the result of a series of extensions and refurbishments, the most recent major stages of which took place as part of the modernisation of sports facilities for Euro 2000. Aside from the sporting aspect – Standard were Belgian champions in 2008 and 2009 – the 2000s were a golden era for the football club, which saw its season-ticket holder numbers rise. The prospect of competing in European competitions strengthened the club’s management’s determination to provide exclusive facilities and to make the stadium not only a venue for sporting events but also a meeting place for the regional business community. One of the club’s directors had long-standing ties with Vandenhove, so it was only natural that he turned to the Liège-based architect to design the VIP lounges. Attached to the rear of Stand I and facing the training ground, the lounge forms a natural extension of the VIP brasserie on the first floor. The new, fully glazed structure spans a single level, culminating in a large terrace with glass balustrades. The space houses the lounge, complete with a bar and several tables. In this relatively quiet setting, set back from the hustle and bustle of the stadium, wood dominates the various fittings (counter, wall cupboards, partitions, etc.), whilst a painted work by Jacques Charlier depicts a succession of footballs. This level offers a generous view of the training pitch through a series of arched windows arranged in apses, the lower sections of which feature abstract works by Jean-Pierre Pincemin etched into sandblasted glass.

The ‘Céramique’ apartment block in Maastricht stands as Charles Vandenhove’s latest major project in the Netherlands. The regeneration of the neighbourhood, once dominated by the Céramique factories, began in the late 1980s under the leadership of Jo Coenen, who was responsible for drawing up the master plan. Architectural quality was a key priority from the outset, with contributions from several international figures, including Mario Botta, Aldo Rossi, Álvaro Siza, Luigi Snozzi and Bob Van Reeth. Bruno Albert and Charles Vandenhove from Liège, as well as the Greisch practice, were also involved. Vandenhove was commissioned to design a block of flats opposite the Bonnefantenmuseum and a short walk from the Centre Céramique. The architect designed the building to sit above a basement reserved for parking spaces and storage areas for residents, with the ground floor dedicated to retail space. The upper floors, meanwhile, consist of flats, some of which offer up to three bedrooms and a floor area of nearly 140 m². Residents’ comfort is once again a key priority, and all flats are notably equipped with large terraces extending from the bedrooms and the living room. Natural light is also a central feature. The design featuring large arched windows, previously used in the Esther House, is repeated here, as are the afzelia shutters that shield the bedrooms from light. Vertical circulation is provided by a fully glazed double lift shaft and a fire escape staircase for which, surprisingly, Vandenhove has eschewed the spiral design in favour of an approach that is seemingly simpler but technically daring. In a setting characterised by contemporary architecture, the Liège-based architect chose to prioritise ‘modern’ materials such as precast concrete and galvanised steel. In what has now become a hallmark of Vandenhove’s work, visual artists were invited to collaborate on the project. In addition to Daniel Buren’s unrealised installation, Claude Lévêque’s neon composition is ‘delicately’ positioned on the cylindrical concrete walls surrounding the vertical circulation routes and on the metal structure of the glass-fronted lifts.

In the early 2000s, Charles Vandenhove gradually moved away from the Netherlands to refocus his activities in Belgium. The Sohan project, however, still bears witness to the reputation the architect enjoys across the Moerdijck. But this time, it is no longer the man from Liège who is going to the Netherlands, but the Netherlands that is coming to Liège… Based in Eindhoven, the property developer Straet Holding saw the Pepinster area as an opportunity to create a village catering to an ‘affluent’ clientele seeking a second home. Acquired in 2001, the plots are spread between the former Sohan Castle and the site known as the ‘Bois des Nids d’Aguesses’, a beautiful natural area to the south-east of Pepinster. Vandenhove is proposing a project centred on two main areas. In the ‘Bois des Nids d’Aguesses’, the housing development comprises 82 terraced houses, 9 detached houses and a block of 18 flats. Drawing inspiration from the layout of Fredensborg designed by Utzon, Vandenhove has designed the ‘village’ on a sloping site where all the dwellings face south. Arranged around a main road, the houses are modest in scale. They are single-storey and offer between two and four bedrooms, depending on the type. Each has a small garden. In this architecture, where brick is showcased to its best advantage, Vandenhove combines dark bricks with light, untreated timber in dwellings featuring single-pitched roofs. Not far from there, the castle site has a more tourist-oriented focus. The orangery, the last remaining part of Sohan Castle, which was destroyed at the end of the Second World War, is due to be restored, and plans are in place for a hotel complex. A swimming pool and a fitness centre will complete the facilities. The project – perhaps too ambitious (in the press, Vandenhove spoke of ‘a Marshall Plan for Pepinster’) – will not go ahead, mainly due to opposition from part of the local population.

Situated in the centre of Amsterdam, a stone’s throw from the Rijksmuseum and right next to the legendary Paradisio concert hall, the project is set on a spacious plot between two canals. The immediate surroundings are characterised by historic buildings, none of which are more than four or five storeys high. Vandenhove responds to the context and makes the most of the gaps between neighbouring buildings to design a structure whose four façades are largely open to the outside, with some offering fine views of the urban landscape. The layout is logical and efficient. Above an underground car park, the identical floor plates extend over four storeys. On each level, the offices are arranged on either side of a central corridor, whilst the vertical circulation (stairs and lift) is situated at the rear within two cylindrical volumes, featuring the unmistakable Vandenhove spiral staircase. The architect draws on several design elements he had previously experimented with in various earlier projects. The red prefabricated concrete cladding – which echoes the brickwork of several neighbouring buildings – is reminiscent of the solution implemented a few years earlier at Le Balloir. The balconies extending from the offices, along with the curved glazing and bronze shutters, follow in the tradition of the Esther project in Liège and the Céramique project in Maastricht.

Following the completion of the construction of Ridderkerk’s new town hall, Charles Vandenhove was commissioned to renovate the local authority’s former premises with a view to continuing to use them as offices. The four-storey building, with its characteristic modernist style of the late 1970s, is dominated by brick, concrete and glass. Vandenhove’s work focused initially on the exterior. Starting from the third floor, a fully glazed walkway connects the former premises to the new town hall. On the ground floor, adjoining the old building, a small two-storey structure with nine bays has been built, providing a new entrance to the administrative areas. Vandenhove highlights the new structure by playing on contrasts and favouring prefabricated concrete façades, in which the windows feature slightly curved glazing. Although the intervention is not particularly spectacular, it is, as in the new town hall, rich in meaning. The old carillon, a symbolic and historic landmark, has been retained and enveloped by an openwork structure made of afzelia timber at the top of the hexagonal tower which houses the fire escape staircase.