The design of the buildings for the National Institute of the Coal Industry (INICHAR) took place a few years after Charles Vandenhove and Lucien Kroll went their separate ways in 1957. Now in sole charge, the architect undertook a growing number of projects in the public sector, particularly for the University of Li\u00e8ge, with the design of the B\u00e9tatron and Gammatron laboratory (1958) and the mortuary clinic (1958).<\/p>\n
Established in 1947 to support the Belgian coal industry, INICHAR commissioned Vandenhove to design its new headquarters in 1960 on a site near Val Beno\u00eet, between Cointe Hill and a railway line leading to Namur. Set amidst particularly well-maintained outdoor grounds, the complex comprises three buildings housing administrative offices, laboratories and a testing hall respectively. The administrative building rests on a concrete framework, with its columns arranged along the fa\u00e7ades. With no intermediate load-bearing elements, it allows for great freedom in the interior layout. Vandenhove paid particular attention to the interior spaces. Of particular note is the spiral staircase, which can also be found in the Lucien Brull student residence built at the same time, and which already appears as an archetypal element in the architect\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
Designed to accommodate heavier loads, the structural framework of the building housing the research laboratories is intended to be more robust. Situated opposite the administrative building, it adopts a similar architectural style, featuring a combination of brick and concrete and a flat roof. However, the entrance area and the section housing the lift shafts lend the building a more sculptural quality. Intended for \u2018industrial\u2019 testing, the hall is a tall structure dominated by brick. Continuous windows and skylights provide natural light to the interior. The hall is also flanked by two lower structures housing laboratories and workshops. Completed in 1965, the building has undergone various alterations, some of which were entrusted to Vandenhove, such as the pilot workshop for polymer processing (1975), designed in collaboration with the engineer Ren\u00e9 Greisch.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u00a0Owing to its scale, but above all to its quality, the INICHAR complex can rightly be regarded as the definitive starting point of Vandenhove\u2019s work and as its place within the architectural landscape of that era.\u00a0\u201d Geert Bekaert<\/p>\n
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