The Belgian Pavilion of the World Exhibition in New York (1939) was designed under the leadership of the "monstre sacré" of the Belgian architecture, Henry Van de Velde. The pavilion was reconstructed on the campus of the Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA, in the early ‘40’s. As the building is up for restoration, the Atomium wants to tell the unusual story of the iconic building from the 30s, along with a scientific team of the University of Ghent.
The Belgian pavilion at the World Exhibition of 1939 in New York was designed by a team of architects under leadership of Henry van de Velde. Belgium was allocated a very prestigious location, situated next to the central promenade on the expo site in Flushing Meadows, looking out over the Lagoon of Nations. Partly because of this, they wanted the Belgian pavilion to appear subdued and dignified, a paragon of "modern classicism". The walls were created from Flemish terracotta panels; the 50 meters high bell tower was clad with Walloon slate.
After the World Exhibition, the pavilion was to be reconstructed in Brussels, but because of the start of the Second World War, this could not take place. The building was donated to the Virginia Union University at the beginning of the 1940’s, an Afro-American University in Richmond, Virginia. There it was re-erected on the university campus in a slightly altered form and it was known as the "Belgian Friendship Building" from the start. The 35 carillon bells ended up at the Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
The "Belgian Friendship Building" had many different appropriations during the course of the years: Sports hall library, chapel, laboratories, art centre, fitness area. Since 1969, it was included in the National Register of Historic Places. 70 years after its re-birth, the building is in need of renovation.
Production: Department of Architecture & Urban Development, University of Ghent
Replicas: Master students civil engineering architect, University of Ghent