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Issue 20

10 January 2013

1

De bijzondere vomrentaal van een bijzondere architect: René van Zuuk

François Valentiny, Luxembourg : painter, sculptor, musical architect

François Valentiny (59) was born in 1953 in the idyllic

surroundings of Remerschen in Luxembourg. His father

was a carpenter, so was his grandfather. Growing up in a

woodworking environment, he learned to appreciate the

skills and knowledge of the true artisan. The gift of artistry

led François to become an architect, painter and sculptor.

A musical - or rather a cultural - architect who loves

opera; a man who has designed many buildings with a

musical and cultural function in the later stages of his ca-

reer. Was it the smell of the wooden wine barrels he saw

his grandfather making when he was a boy that inspired

him to apply his skills to the construction of wine cellars

many years later?

François Valen-

tiny still lives

lives and works

in the grounds

of the house

where he was

born and grew

up. He studied

architecture

between 1975

and 1980 in

Nancy and

Vienna. In 1987

he set up Her-

mann & Valen-

tiny with Hubert

Hermann. Their

partnership en-

ded a few

years ago.

Luxembourg Pavillion, 2010 Shanghai Expo

The statue “Gëlle Fra” (Golden Lady) - a national

treasure - from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

was placed on a three-metre-tall steel column at the

entrance to the Luxembourg Pavilion.

“Does size really matter?”

G.G. Kirchner, partner of Valentiny Archi-

tects, stresses the fact that a small country

like Luxembourg is often overlooked by

other countries. He says: “When in 2008

we were designing the Luxembourg pavili-

on for Shanghai, it was suggested that we

take ”Small is beautiful too” - a variant of

the saying “Small is beautiful” - as our

motto. This novel approach allowed the

Luxembourg pavilion to attract a lot of

attention at the biggest EXPO of all time in

China, where nothing else was small.”

“Architecture is not intellectual. Creating architecture

means working like a carpenter, a gardener, a cook.

Architecture means a revolt against the average.”

2

Below: Video clip of impressive projects by Valen-

tiny Architects.The background music is Fantasia

On a Theme by Thomas Tallis, performed by The

New Queen’s Hall Orchestra. Photo below: The

Tower of Dreams and Longings in Trier 2003-2004.

A landmark by Valentiny Architects, more sculpture

than architecture. An audacious, contemporary ver-

sion of the towers built in San Gimignano, Italy.

“Drawings are the Mirrors of my Dreams.” Luxembourg Pavilion, 2010 SHANGHAI EXPO

François Valentiny’s private studio in Remerschen:

a study in colour, form, light, glass and landscape.

The Luxembourg Pavilion for EXPO 2010, created

by Valentiny Architects, impressively demonstra-

tes what a contemporary alliance of architecture

and art looks like. Valentiny won the competition

for the Expo in 2010, where 40 international archi-

tects took part. ”We seem to have hit a nerve with

this design,” says François Valentiny. “Luxem-

bourg does not have an independent tradition on

its own, you know. We have never had famous

poets or musicians. Maybe the pavilion is the be-

ginning of an identity for Luxembourg.” Prime

Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg was

full of praise:”The pavilion in Shanghai is a histori-

cal event. It has offered Luxembourg a unique

platform for its promotion in China and Asia.”

Magnificent interplay of shapes and colours in the Pavilion

3

Les Thermes in Strassen-Bertrange (Luxembourg):

the most innovative waterpark in Europe of 2010

At first sight, the futuristic swimming and leisure centre in Strassen-

Bertrange looks like a flying saucer that has just landed in the open coun-

tryside. Its striking design was produced jointly by Atelier d’Architecture et

Design Jim Clemes, Witry & Witry and Valentiny Architects.

The municipalities of Stras-

sen and Bertrange had am-

bitious plans in 2002 when

they decided to set up the

swimming pool and leisure

centre “Les Thermes”. The

new building was intended

to provide a wide range of

swimming, sport and lei-

sure facilities under one

roof. They organised a de-

sign competition for archi-

tects for this project in

2004, won by Valentiny

Architects with their striking

proposal, which also won

the 2012 Bauhäre Preis of

the OAI, the Order of Archi-

tects and Consulting Engi-

neers of the Grand Duchy

of Luxembourg.

Project Manager Axel Christmann of

Valentiny: the inspirator of the project

A large communal leisure amenity set in the

landscape, easily accessible by various

forms of transport. The building is elliptical in

plan, and like a flying saucer in bulk.

Two of the zones inside the waterpark offer

sports pools and a whirlpool. The third area

contains various sauna facilities and provides

access to a visually screened-off outdoor

area. A special choice of material had to be

made for the roof supports in view of the

corrosive chlorine-containing air rising from

the pool and the enormous span of the roof.

Wood was the only material that could meet

the high requirements. There are three swim-

ming areas, separated by broad relaxation

zones, with rich planting.

The urban planning setting of the site for this swim-

ming centre demanded a special architectural solution.

The inspiration for the design came from a cut-open

amethyst with its opaque outer surface and the extra-

ordinary vitality of its interior. The closed façade, which

screens the interior off from the industrial zone on one

side, gives little idea of what goes on inside the build-

ing and invites a second glance. The ellipsoidal struc-

ture is open to the housing estate on the other side.

4

Música em Trancoso: Four idealists, one dream: a permanent cultural centre in Brazil

François Valentiny: an architect from

Luxembourg with a passion for Brazil

Four idealists who shared a single dream

got together in 2010 to establish a cultural

centre and music festival in Trancoso, in

the Bahia region of Brazil.

Sabine Lovatelli, the Musical Director of

the festival and the founder of the

“Mozarteum Brasileiro”; Carlos Eduardo

Bittencourt, a multi-talented man, who fell

in love with Trancoso 30 years ago;

François Valentiny, a passionate lover of

music and one of the greatest architects

in the world and Reinold Geiger, a busi-

nessman who is always on the look-out

for new challenges. “I met Sabine Lova-

telli in Austria long before I designed the

House for Mozart in Salzburg,” François

Valentiny says. “We visited her 5 years

ago in Brazil. I was very excited about the

country and its wonderful people and I

have retained this passion ever since. I

met Dominique and Reinold Geiger and

Calé Bittencourt at the same time.

After a special dinner, the festival ‘Música

em Trancoso’ was born.”

François Valentiny is co-founder and co-sponsor of the

Brazilian Music Festival ’Música em Trancoso’ in the region

of Bahia. The festival, which started in 2012, is a superb

eight-day event in an idyllic spot on the Brazilian coast.

’Música em Trancoso’ offers classical and popular concerts.

Over 200 musicians, ranging from members of Brazilian

youth orchestras to major names in classical

and contemporary Brazilian and international

music come to Trancoso. In 2012 the festival

took place in an auditorium of an amfitheatre

which is still under construction. It will even-

tually have a total capacity of 2,200 seats in

two autitoria.

“The building is half buried in the earth and

contains two concert halls,” François Valen-

tiny explains. “There is a covered and an

open space, each one with a stage for 120

musicians, an orchestra pit, accommodation

for the artists, technical rooms and seating

for 1,100 spectators. The design is based on

acoustic and visual parameters and creates a new

image for the region of Bahia.”

The great success of the first edition in 2012

made it quite clear that Música em Trancoso was

here to stay. This is also thanks to Roberta

Lovatelli, who was the operational coordinator of

the festival in 2012. She welcomes the happiness

that the festival brought into the hearts of so

many music lovers. “It was a very rewarding ex-

perience to see the smiles on the people’s faces

when everything turned so well.”

In 2013 the 2nd Festival will be held from 23

February to 2 March.

Contact details: Música em Trancoso

Rua do Telégrafo, 385

45818 - 000 - TRANCOSO– BRAZIL

Tel. 0055-73-36– 68 1487/2177

5

The House for Mozart is one of the venues for the Salzburg Festival. It has performed this function since 1925, but was only given its present name in 2006. It has mainly been used to put on operas and con-certs. Originally built as the royal stables, it became the first festival hall in 1925, and has been called the Small Festival Hall since 1960. It has been converted many times over the years. The sixth, and for the mo-ment the last, conversion took place in 2006 to mark the Mozart Year, the 250th anniversary of the com-poser’s birth, in 2006. The architects for the creation of the House of Mozart were Wilhelm Holzbauer and

François Valentiny, while the German artist Michael Hammers was entrusted with the task of designing and renovating the ’Golden Wall’ in the foyer. Mozart’s much loved opera ’The Marriage of Figaro’ was per-formed during the festive opening of the building.

Ultramodern design by Valentiny Architects for new Beethoven Festival Hall in Bonn

Valentiny Architects has made an ultramodern design

for the proposed new Beethoven festival hall. Bonn

already has a Beethoven Hall, the third of that name,

built shortly after the end of World War II on the

banks of the Rhine. It is a listed monument and much

loved by many people. The design by Valentiny has

an ultramodern look and offers much better acoustics

and lighting. With a scenic location on the Rhine Pro-

menade, it offers a large and a small auditorium. Fu-

turistic lighting and state-of-the-art acoustic towers

allow almost endless manipulation of the appearance

of the auditoria and the sound of the music.

House for Mozart - Salzburg “Das kleine Festspielhaus”

Holzbauer and Valentiny managed to square the circle by making the auditorium ten metres shorter while still leaving room for more seats, and vastly improving the acoustics. The upper area is articulated by three bronze doors sculp- ted by Josef Zenzmaier, and by five narrow, vertical rectangular areas of fixed glazing. François Valentiny is a ’musical’ architect who designed a number of concert halls and also a highly talented costume and set designer. He explains:”Designing costumes and drawing sets for operas is a logical continuation of my work and supplements my architectural activi-ties. I have created costumes and scenery for performances of André Chenier, Samson and Delilah and Oedipus Rex.”

The municipal council of Bonn decided in Novem-

ber 2011 that the city should build a spectacular

new festival hall in 2020 to celebrate Beethoven’s

250th birthday. Bonn feels a special link with the

composer, since he was born in the city. Leading

architects from around the world entered the

competition to design the new festival hall.

Valentiny Architects is one of the two candidates

who are still in the running with its ultramodern

design entitled “Die Wellen” (The Waves”).

6

Interior view of the KPMG building in Luxembourg

Basic Housing Project for Shahe University Town in Beijing, China

François Valentiny has been a Master of Community Planning and Green Architectural Design at

the Beijing De Tao Master’s Academy (DTMA) , a high-level, multi-disciplinary, application-oriented

institution of higher education in Shanghai,

China, since 2011. He designed a basic

housing project for Shahe University Town

in Beijing (photo right) in this context.

De Tao Masters Academy launched the

Beijing Shahe University Town project, in

line with the Chinese government’s commit-

ment to “Revitalizing the Country with

Science and Technology,” in 2000.

The University Town, covering 8 square

kilometres and composed of educational,

commercial and residential facilities, stands

out in Beijing’s new landscape. Its tenants

include five top national universities in

different fields, with a total of 80,000 students and 20,000 faculty members. DTMA aims to collect

the industrial wisdom of the world, to provide a meeting-place for the world’s leading teachers,

to nurture professional industrial elites and to foster the development of prosperous business.

adato architecture, the first magazine for architects in Luxembourg, celebrated its 10th anniversary François Valentiny founded this bilingual architectural jour-nal together with his partner GG Kirchner in 2002, and is still co-editor. Published in French and German, adato ar-chitecture appears quarterly in 4 different countries, Bel-gium, Germany, France and Luxembourg, and celebrated its tenth birthday in 2012. François Valentiny’s passion for architecture and for the medium of print was an important factor in the creation of the magazine. Unlike neighbouring countries, Luxembourg had not had a platform for architec-ture, so adato architecture met a real need. Renowned specialists from Luxembourg and abroad write interesting articles in its pages and leading architects, engineers and businessmen give their point of view. Editorial Board: Prof. Ingeborg Flagge; Marie-Hélène Lu-kas, François Valentiny, Torsten Altmeyer, Oliver Arenz and G.G. Kirchner. For further information, E-mail: info@adato.lu or call 00-352– 23 60 701.

KPMG office building, Luxembourg

’Sustainable Firm of the Year 2012’

Created by Valentiny Architects and constructed

by Felix Giorgetti sarl, the building’s striking

design and innovative external structure will take

pride of place in the Kirchberg business district.

The architecture connects the modernity of

Luxembourg today with its industrial history. The

eye-catching outer structure, in an arresting oxide

red, will be constructed entirely of weathering

steel, a symbol of Luxembourg’s rich ironworks

past. Framed within the outer structure is the

leading-edge design of the building itself, with a

floor to ceiling glazed façade, a large atrium, open

reception areas and varied and innovative mee-

ting areas. The structural design was conceived

with environmental and ecological factors in mind.

Recently named Sustainable Firm of the Year

2012 by International Accounting Bulletin, KPMG

hopes to ensure the building meets its high ex-

pectations with regard to sustainability.

7

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Valentiny Architects 19, rue des Près

L-5441 REMERSCHEN

LUXEMBOURG

E-mail: office@hvp.lu

www.valentinyarchitects.com

University Library “La maison du livre” under construction at the

Science, Research and Innovation City in Esch-sur-Alzette Artist’s impression of the university library under construction in Esch-

sur-Alzette. Daniela Flor explains: ”The new library is made of Cor-

Ten steel, which protects the building against rusting. François

Valentiny calls it a ‘stone-age hut’ placed in the middle of the big city,

where it blends in very well with its rural surroundings. It is located in

Esch-Bel-val, an old industrial area that will be transformed into a uni-

versity campus, with shops, restaurants, houses and a concert hall.

The former steel works will become the university library. The old blast

furnaces will be retained as modernist works of art. The steel skeleton

of the building will also be preserved, but will be covered by an innova-

tive new skin made of composite and glass, using techniques taken

from boat-building and aerospace construction to give a completely

new interpretation of the old steel works.”

The future library “La maison du Livre” in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

Architect and consulting engi-

neer Daniela Flor (41) is Project

Manager for the new university

library in Esch-sur-Alzette, due

to be completed in 2 years. She

studied architecture in Kaisers-

lautern, Germany, and has been

working for Valentiny Architects

for 14 years. Daniela is inspired

by working in a multinational

team, and is full of praise for

François Valentiny. “He is a

support and inspiration for us

all. He encourages us to put

something new into every

design.”

Below: design for a Concert Hall in Wroclaw, Poland, 2005.