B3 – Knowledge centre of Liège Province on the Bavière site

Abandoned for more than 30 years, the site of the former Bavière Hospital in Liege will be housing a provincial cultural center on five levels with a surface area of 15,000 m² by the fall of 2022. The “Pôle des Savoirs”, dedicated to culture, digital technology and the arts, will house the former Les Chiroux library, a business incubator, convivial spaces to host spectacles and events, and catering facilities…

Built by the Liège Province with the support of Europe and Wallonia, the “Pôle des Savoirs” is the first emblematic element of a vast public and private project to rehabilitate the district and one of the city’s entrances. The project is partly subsidized by ERDF funds.

The 5-storey building is covered with an audacious second skin consisting of a facade supported by a cantilever varying from 1 to 3 metres on the upper floors. The “vertical” surface of this facade is approximately 3100 m²

The second skin covering is made of a mixture of zinc and glass panels.

These panels are supported by a network of secondary profiles resting on the primary structure of edge beams defining the different faces of the facade, itself supported by vertical trusses anchored in the building approximately every 7.5 meters at the different floor levels.

The trusses are connected by gangways which, in addition to offering a technical circulation for the maintenance of the facades, allows the whole structure to be wind-braced, particularly under seismic conditions.

Some areas of this structure also support patios accessible to the public between the building’s façade and the second skin.