During the \u2018Trente Glorieuses\u2019, the proliferation of high-rise buildings \u2013 which, whilst possessing their own merits, were most often the result of property development \u2013 brought about a profound transformation of Li\u00e8ge\u2019s skyline.<\/p>\n
In his own way, Vandenhove also played his part in the movement. In 1961, the architect was once again commissioned by the University of Li\u00e8ge to design a building to house medical students. The site, on the banks of the Meuse, was not chosen at random. Whilst the University Hospital project was still in its infancy, the Bavi\u00e8re complex in the Outremeuse district remained the heart of Li\u00e8ge\u2019s medical community. The brief entrusted to the architect was fairly straightforward and comprised one hundred student rooms, 28 flats for married couples, one flat for the director and another for the caretaker. Communal areas (library, restaurant, cafeteria, meeting rooms) complete the facilities. After taking part in several study trips \u2013 notably to the University of Geneva alongside Andr\u00e9 Jacqmain, who was in charge of the construction of the Sart Tilman halls of residence \u2013 Vandenhove presented his design in 1963. Set within a dense urban fabric, the architect erected a fourteen-storey tower on a plinth housing the communal areas, whilst the accommodation is arranged on each floor. The ground floor extends horizontally. A low, two-storey structure set back from the tower houses the university canteen, which is connected to the ground floor of the tower by a connecting building. The ground floor of the tower is occupied by the director\u2019s office, the secretariat, a meeting room and the library. As in the Inichar project, a spiral staircase leads to the first floor, which houses the caretaker\u2019s flat as well as a few flats for female students and a study room. On each floor, the bedrooms \u2013 each with its own balcony \u2013 are arranged around a central core housing the bathrooms. The penultimate floor is set aside for the director\u2019s flat.<\/p>\n
The architect\u2019s design approach is simple and follows on from his previous projects. It is a far cry from the appearance of other towers built in Li\u00e8ge at the same time. The fa\u00e7ades are predominantly made of brick and concrete, whilst the window frames are made of wood.<\/p>\n
Particular attention has also been paid to the furniture for communal areas, offices and accommodation. The communal areas will be furnished with pieces by Wilhelm Kienzle, Arne Jacobsen, the Castiglioni brothers and Vandenhove, who will also design the chairs, stools, shelves and desks for the students\u2019 flats, as well as the benches and tables for the communal areas.<\/p>\n
Guest artist: Luis Feito.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":390,"template":"","collection_type":[31],"class_list":["post-8774","collection","type-collection","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","collection_type-archives-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n