Neolithic mining in Spiennes

The Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes are a major Belgian heritage site. As such, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

To mark the entrance to the site, the town of Mons decided to build a reception pavilion directly above the entrance to the mines (the entrance is via a vertical pit).

The solution chosen is an extremely light metal structure without any ornamentation.

The building takes the form of a circle (seen in plan) with a diameter of 32 metres. The roof structure consists of a perpendicular grid of beams spaced 5 metres apart.

The structural columns are arranged so as to leave as much space as possible for the archaeological excavations. The longest span between columns is 20 metres.

An exhibition and visitor reception area is created using a collaborative metal floor.

To stabilise the building horizontally, the circular shape of the facade is cleverly used to create a series of metal bracings using cables. The other bracings are concealed.