Samuel Defourny

The Serrurier Bovy Foundation is based upon several functions centred around the work of the
famous “Modern Style” designer and Liège-based architect Gustave Serrurier Bovy (1858-1910).
The foundation offers, beyond the temporary and permanent exhibition spaces, a library, a lecture
theatre and an antiques restoration workshop.

Located on a cramped parcel, the project displays, at the neighbourhood scale, its wish to gather
together several built and non-built structures, several levels, and several lines of communication:
two streets, a square, a quay, a river, a bridge. The constructed boundaries of the plot are
redefined whereas the typological diversity is revealed along the internal journey and thanks to the
facades that echo it.

The superimposition of many old axis from the 17th and the 19th century reveals the dynamic and
tumultuous characteristics of this site. The project composition is inspired by these incidents; a
few solid and fixed components are introduced and thwart the primary geometry. Therefore, some
volumes are distorted: new spaces, new lights, new views are created to the city. The epicentre of
this phenomenon is materialized by an internal street that contains the museum circulations. Inside
this unique volume, fulfilled with coloured top lights , the visitor’s interest is constantly stimulated
by a sequence of appeals and viewpoints of the various exhibition areas.

The interior expression, intentionally simple, focuses - thanks to contrast - the visitor’s attention on
exhibits. There’s only a few signs that tattoo the building and give it its own identity, thus it also
reveals its response and its belonging to the designer’s works. Several silk-screen-printed pattern,
used in the facades and inside, guide any new visitor to and in the museum. These patterns
embody the successive states of research development of Gustave Serrurier Bovy.

SCHUNCK cannot guarantee the correctness of content and expression. The participants themselves are responsible for their entries. The copyright of the projects underlies to the authors, any reproduction or use of the shown material is strictly forbidden.