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Architect: L. Ghysebrechts & J. Van Hoorde
Year: 1967
City - Country: Hasselt, Belgium

Located in the centre of Hasselt in the province of Limburg, the Administrative Centre is a large concrete building that fuses a rough concrete structure with elegant architectural details and rounded elements. This contrast between hard edges and curves is the main visual aspect of the design by architect Louis Ghysebrechts. Tucked between the narrow streets of the city centre, the building stands on an L-shaped plot between Groenplein public square and Demerstraat.
Completed in 1967, this five-storey building was constructed using prefabricated concrete modules, composed as a rational, geometric grid of horizontal and vertical beams and concrete panels with the geometric decorative elements. The long main facade of the building faces the square, and the different shapes of each floor create a horizontal rhythm. The architect added a striking curved balcony to the second story, which doubles as a cover to the entrance area below – a large concrete vault. The other floors have slightly different styles, crowned by the top floor, with is smaller with a roof terrace around it. This top floor is covered by a series of vaulted domes, an addition that birds the dynamic character of the whole structure. (source: Atlas of Brutalist Architecture, Phaidon, p.236)

Latest News:
2024/02/26, AC Hasselt: recent nog met sloop bedreigd, binnenkort herbestemd tot kunstenhuis met behoud van iconische brutalistische gevel, architectura.be (NL)
2021/03/09, Expansion of Hasselt town hall is given a new purpose. / Uitbreiding stadhuis Hasselt krijgt een nieuwe bestemming. (NL/EN)
2021/03/02, Hasselt bouwt kunstwerkplaats in centrum, De Standaard (NL)
2019/03/07, Hasselt verlengt jongerenproject De Serre tot site officiële koper heeft, HBVL.be (NL)
2018/11/23, temporary conversion ‘De Serre’ (NL)
2018/06/15, Administratief centrum wordt De Serre, Het Nieuwsblad (NL)

source: archive architect Ghysebrechts (advertising brochure Ergon, 1969)