Renovation & Extension Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (NL & FR)

By DOCOMOMO Belgium / May, 16, 2012 / 0 comments

See the French-speaking reportage (with Dutch subtitles) here on cobra.be.

© Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, 1939, by Yvan Renchon, Waterloo

Built to the design of the architect Yvan RENCHON, the Music Chapel was inaugurated on July 11th 1939 in the presence of Queen Elisabeth and her son King Leopold III; also in attendance were the Papal Nunce, ambassadors from China, the USA, France and Great Britain, a number of ministers as well as the elite from the world of music.

The complex was listed by the Wallonia Region in 1994. It has been remarkably well preserved despite the extension carried out in 1953-54 under the supervision of the design architect, which guaranteed the project’s coherence and homogeneity. Much of the original furniture ( desks,chairs, armchairs….), produced by the famous Ateliers d’Art De Coen, is still in use in the Music Chapel.

In 2008 the Chapelle Musicale has plans to develop its infrastructure for an extension of accommodation space for young musicians, educational activities and concerts. The height difference of the plot will enable the discreet construction of a new building so that it will not be in competition with the old one.

The structure of the new building should offer the following:
– 20 new studios able to accommodate a total of up to 40 residential students
– a concert hall with 500 to 600 places
– reception areas for patron events and conferences;
– a place of relaxation for the general public;
– three rehearsal rooms and a recording studio with the best acoustic conditions

source: www.mkke.be