Cour Saint-Antoine - architect Charles Vandenhove

In the Hors-Château district, the built heritage is rich at the end of the 1980s, but outdated and no longer meets the needs of the residents. Although the government could have introduced a new tabula rasa policy, they decided to take a completely different path.

The urban renewal project in the Hors-Château district is being implemented by the Société de Développement régional pour la Wallonie (SDRW), which aims to 'promote the strengthening and restructuring of urban cores' while supporting the construction of accessible housing in city centers .

This is a turning point for Charles Vandenhove. For the first time he will work as an architect in an area with a high historical value. The approach is based on three pillars: renovation of houses on Rue Hors-Château, the construction of new homes in Rue des Brasseurs and construction of a traffic-free courtyard in an island. The renovation of old homes takes into account the need to offer a wide range of housing options, from the house to the 3-bedroom apartment and a studio.

The intervention in the 13 old houses (1979-1985) is careful and prohibits any standardized solution. However, Charles Vandenhove succeeds in combining the preservation of historical features with a contemporary interpretation. Along the Rue des Brasseurs, the architect draws new two-storey buildings with a gable roof and a tower.

The complex is built above an underground parking garage and consists of almost 30 homes and various commercial or office spaces. With this part of the project, Vandenhove responds to the industrialization challenge of the SDRW, including by using the architectural concrete that it has long mastered.

Contemporary and historical ensembles are in consistent dialogue: original dimensions of doors and windows, replacement of crosses with bronze columns and crossbeams, crossed doors and windows with colorful square tiles... Between the renovated buildings and the new building, Vandenhove has a small square on the ends closed by two small houses. The square is open to the public and is intended as a resting place. A fountain feeds a flume that runs to a sculpture by Anne and Patrick Poirier reminiscent of the Mayan temple at Tikal.