Simenon Youth Hostel - architect groupe ARTerre

Georges Simenon has been an integral part of the Liège landscape for more than ten years. The landscape is in the broadest sense of the word, as it is both an architectural and a cultural reference. It has been included in various publications on contemporary architecture (e.g. the 'Simenon Tower' a little further on) and heritage and in urban development exhibitions. It has also become a hotspot for association life in Liège and social tourism.

After an ideas competition for the youth hostel, groupe ARTerre was appointed as architects to design the location and many partners were involved throughout the procedure. The urban design is the result of a thorough study of the district and the island: the new volumes, shapes and materials are in dialogue with the surrounding buildings. An alley connects the courtyard and the street, especially for the revelers of August 15 (Sainte Marie).

When designing the plans for the hostel, architectural firm ARTerre, in collaboration with visual artist Daniel Dutrieux, the city of Liège made a number of adjustments to the entire intersection around the building on the site. These proposals were subsequently used in the ERDF project 'Liège finds its river again'. These adjustments are reflected in the relationship between, for example, the courtyard and the forecourt, the mural at the top of the adjacent building and the themes of Georges Simenon's journey, embodied in the chained stone mass surrounded by stone benches engraved with the texts of the author. Art, architecture and urban planning integrated into many functions.