SOURCE O'RAMA
LOCATION / Chaudfontaine, Belgium
CLIENT / City of Chaudfontaine
PARTNER / "Culture d'O" (AA – TGI and Cosetech)
AREA / 2 450 sqm above ground
PROGRAM / Museum
PROJECT / 2003 - 2005
STATUS / Built 2005
The renovation of the listed pyramid on the site of the springs at Chaudfontaine enabled an education and fun museum to be set up on the theme of water and thermal springs, which have created the story of Chaudfontaine since the 17th-century. Thermal spring water is the running theme of this project.The building has three zinc-clad façades, including the entrance façade which expresses all on its own the various components of Chaudfontaine water: water, air, and earth. The element of water is symbolised by the entrance built entirely as a curtain-wall system made of structural glazing. Air is represented by a large box made of extra-clear glass which services as a rest area, and which accommodates the feather works of art by Lucile Bertrand. And finally, earth is expressed by an internal wall made of earth and visible from the exterior thanks to the transparency of the entrance made of fusion glass and the ‘air box’. The project also proposes a change in the layout of the pyramid's surroundings. The concept of the visitor's tour of the museum is an imaginative and interactive journey divided into three stages (water, air, earth). The museum is accessible to people with reduced mobility via access ramps.