Brutalist architecture in Belgium

Brutalist architecture appeared in Belgium in 1960 and developed throughout the 1960s and 1970s, in parallel with functionalist architecture, derived as it did from modernism.

History
The brutalist architecture is characterized by facades of uncoated “raw concrete” whose surfaces often have a texture inherited from the formwork 1, the concrete “rough formwork”keeping the mark of the wooden planks which were used for molding 5, their veining as well as their joining lines.

The style appears in Belgium in the early 1960s with the first achievements of the Flemish architect Juliaan Lampens (her personal home in 1960 and the pilgrimage chapel Notre-Dame de Kerselare in Oudenaarde whose project was designed in 1961).

It then continued throughout the 1960s and 1970s with the construction of numerous university buildings in Liege (Charles Vandenhove and Claude Strebelle), in Louvain-la-Neuve (André Jacqmain, Charles Vandenhove, Robert Courtois), in Ghent (Raoul Brunswyck and Odon Wathelet) and in Brussels (Baro office, Willy Van Der Meeren).

The 1970 construction of the university campus of Louvain-la-Neuve is a prime opportunity for the brutalist style that is widely expressed.

Brutalist style is also expressed in Belgium through public buildings, such as the Eke library (Lampens) and the municipal swimming pool of Ostend (Paul Felix and Jan Tanghe), or religious, such as the Notre-Dame pilgrimage chapel of Kerselare (Lampens) and the church of St. Rita de Harelbeke (Leon Stynen).

Brutalist Architects
Here is the list of Belgian brutalist architects, classified according to the beginning of their brutalist production.
Only their brutalist achievements are mentioned here, to the exclusion of their possible functionalist or postmodern achievements.

1960 Juliaan Lampens
1960 Personal house of Juliaan Lampens
1961-1966 Chapel of pilgrimage Our Lady of Kerselare in Oudenaarde (Kerzelare 98 in Edelare, with Rutger Langaskens)
1967 House Vandenhaute-Kiebooms in Zingem
1970-1974 House of Albert Van Wassenhove, Brakelstraat 50 in Sint- Martens-Latem
1970 Eke Public Library (Steenweg 88, Eke, Nazareth)

1962 Charles Vandenhove
1962-1987 Liège University Hospital Center (Liège University Hospital), Avenue de l’Hopital 1 in Liège 7, 16
1975 Buildings Mendel and Boltzman, laboratories of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Catholic University of Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve (with Émile José Fettweis)

1966 Claude Strebelle (and Sart-Tilman workshop)
1966-1968: Central heating of the University of Liège in the Sart Tilman area in Liège
1968 André Jacqmain
1968: University restaurant of the Sart-Tilman Campus, University of Liège
1970-1975 Library and Place des Sciences in Louvain-la-Neuve

1969 Paul Felix and Jan Tanghe
1969-1978 Ostend Municipal Pool, Queen Astrid Avenue 1 in Ostend

1969 Henri Montois
1967-1976 Laboratories of the Faculty of Medicine of UCL and Hôpital Saint-Luc, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert

1974 Robert Courtois
1974 Carnoy buildings, laboratories of the Faculty of Sciences of the Catholic University of Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve (with Jean Wynen, Alexandre de Haes and Marc Van Raemdonck)

1975 Jean Cosse
1975-1983 Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Louvain-la-Neuve
1977 Érasme college in Louvain-la-Neuve, place Blaise Pascal

1976 Raoul Brunswyck and Odon Wathelet
1976 Faculty of Economics of the University of Ghent, rue des Deux Churches 2 in Ghent

1977 Baro Office (Ghent)
1977 Aula Q, campus of VUB, boulevard de la Plaine 2 in Etterbeek (Brussels)

1979 Jean Potvin
Jean Vilar Theater, main hall of the Atelier Théâtre Jean Vilar in Louvain-la-Neuve

Leon Stynen
St. Rita’s Church in Harelbeke, Julius Sabbestraat 43 in Harelbeke

Alfons Hoppenbrouwers
Westrand Cultural Center in Dilbeek

Renaat Braem
Arena apartment complex, Frank Craeybeckx avenue in Deurne

Willy Van Der Meeren
Student housing on VUB campus, boulevard de la Plaine 2 in Etterbeek (Brussels), set of 352 prefabricated concrete student rooms

René Stapels
Headquarters ING Bank, Cours Saint-Michel 40 in Etterbeek (Brussels)

Murals
The concrete surfaces that characterize the brutalist architecture are an ideal support for murals, as in Louvain-la-Neuve where they flourish.

In the university campus, there are many paintings such as Frank Pe and Bom’s public whales, C’est la vie and A short history of a great Claude Rahir University, Largo Winch by Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme, Qu ‘ is an intellectual? by Roger Somville, Tendre Violette by Jean-Claude Servais, François Schuiten’s Infinite Tower, not forgetting Jean Vilar’s portrait, which decorates the Jean Vilar Theater.

Source From Wikipedia