De Heug building

The De Heug building, also known as Pianos De Heug and Piano De Heug, is a modernist-style building constructed in 1933 in Charleroi, Belgium, by Marcel Leborgne for piano manufacturer De Heug. At the time, it was used as a salesroom and auditorium. When the company folded, the building was used mainly for housing. After being threatened with demolition, the building was painstakingly restored between 2015 and 2020.

The building makes particular use of curves, which emphasize the vertical aspect - as in the cylindrical stairwell - and the horizontal aspect, as in the rounded corners of the skylight and balconies on each floor.

History
"De Heug" was founded in Marcinelle at the end of the 19th century. As a piano manufacturer, it enjoyed international renown and won several awards. The company's greatest prosperity came in the 1920s, when it opened a salesroom in Charleroi's Place Verte. When the founder died in 1932, the company was taken over by his three sons, who decided to build a new salesroom in the same town.

The building, located at the corner of quay Arthur Rimbaud and rue du Bastion d'Egmont, on the banks of the Sambre river, was built in 1933-1934 by Marcel Leborgne, probably in collaboration with his brother Henri.

Settled in its new premises, the company soon went into decline, first as a result of the Great Depression of the 1930s, then of World War II, and finally as the piano lost its place in the furnishings of bourgeois homes. One of the three brothers, Paul, continued the business alone. His son Pierre succeeded him in 1958. Following competition from electric instruments, he reconverted to kitchen furniture manufacturing in the 1960s. The company ceased trading in 1981.

Apart from the commercial duplex on the first floor, all the upper floors were used for housing. At this time, the "Pianos De Heug" sign was replaced by "Dolisy", the name of a customs agency, the new occupant of the ground floor.

In 1985, the building was damaged by an attack by Communist Combatant Cells on a branch of the Manufacturers Hanover Coorporation, a financial institution then located on the first floor.

The building was listed in 1995 as Wallonia's immovable cultural heritage, and it underwent restoration work at the end of 2002 on the skylight roof of the facade, which had been damaged in a storm. However, the building's outer envelope was deteriorating to the point where shoring and safety nets had to be installed. The owners, notified by the Institut du Patrimoine Walloon in 2006, agreed to restore the façade.

The building was purchased in early 2010 by the limited company Saint-Lambert Promotion/Iret Development as part of a project to create a shopping center called "Rive gauche". The De Heug building was initially intended to become a hostel, but was eventually dedicated to hosting offices.

By early 2014, its condition had deteriorated to such an extent that the building's survival was in jeopardy. Two expert reports, one commissioned by the owner, the other by the Walloon Region, indicated that restoration would be prohibitively expensive. For a time, reconstruction of the building was even contemplated, retaining only the original stairwell and elevator. This solution was seen by those in favor of protection as a "parody of Leborgne's work". Citizen mobilization supported by architects and historians enabled the building to be saved. In the end, a meticulous restoration solution was chosen.

During the restoration, as many of the existing elements as possible were preserved. The original window frames were renovated and fitted with double glazing. The original technique was reproduced to replace the interior concrete slabs, which had been eaten away by humidity. Access to the terraces was closed off, as the railings were too low for today's safety standards. The original wiring and motor of the listed elevator shaft were also restored. Restoration of the shell was completed in 2018, with the interior fittings scheduled for 2020.

Architecture
The 19.80-meter-high building has seven levels and a flat roof. It is a highly accomplished example of Marcel Leborgne's mastery of curves.

The initial program included a grout floor and mezzanine forming a commercial duplex, three floors of apartments, one floor of studios for piano teachers and the last floor used as an auditorium for piano testing. The building has a total floor area of 860 m2, including a 112 m2 ground floor with a 85 m2 mezzanine, five 120 m2 floors and a 130 m2 sixth floor.

The building was constructed in concrete with a travertine marble cladding. During construction, the travertine slabs for the balconies were placed prior to concreting. Held in place by lighter formwork, they served as formwork incorporated into the mass. On the facade, the slabs are fixed with cement blocks and copper wire.

The interior layout required a stairwell projecting outwards. In August 1933, the architect requested a 1.75-metre overhang from the Collège des bourgmestre et échevins. On a special basis, the Collège tolerated a maximum overhang of 1.50 metres, provided that the clear height over the sidewalk be 3 metres. This glass and steel column, both aesthetic and functional, emphasized the vertical aspect of the quayside.

The facade on the adjacent street was predominantly horizontal, accentuated by the alternating light travertine surfaces on the balcony exteriors and the dark appearance of the windows, accentuated by the use of black Mazy marble on the trumeaux. The corner situation called for maximum light from this side. Skylights were designed for this purpose in the main rooms of the apartments.

According to Anne-Catherie Bioul and Chantal Mengeot, the building is reminiscent of the industrial aesthetics advocated by the Bauhaus movement, characterized by simplicity and rationality. Maurice Culot, on the other hand, believes that the building is "in line with the best achievements of Italian rationalism".