CHARLEROI EXHIBITION CENTER
LOCATION / Charleroi, Belgium
CLIENT / City of Charleroi
AREA / 2 400 sqm above ground (486 seats)
PROGRAM / Congress Center
PROJECT / 2002 - 2003
STATUS / Built 2004
Situated in a space of 2,400 m², the project consisted of a series of boxes whose vertical walls rise as high as 6.30 m, i.e. as high as the concrete secondary structure. The main box is the new conference room with a capacity of 486 seats, 255 are in retractable tiered seating. It has its own technical control room. Starting from the hall, the side corridors lead to the main room and the meeting rooms provided for in the project. A lounge-restaurant area is designed in the extension of the conference room (+/-800 people). The windows separating the conference area from the rest of the exhibition centre are covered by roller blinds made of galvanized steel. Toilet facilities and a new HVAC system were also planned. Due to problems of floor overload, all the floor tiles were tensioned by mono steel strands fitted to the ceiling of the floor below.