The TAATOO Master’s workshop (Tourism and Architecture: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Opportunities in the Ourthe Valley) explores the opportunities offered by tourism architecture to strengthen the links between urbanisation, rural life and the landscape within the Ourthe Valley. The hypothesis of dispersed tourism as a point of contact between tourism dynamics and local economies offers Comblain-au-Pont the opportunity for a series of architectural interventions that sensitively and sustainably reinforce the village’s historical ties with its natural setting.

Carved out by the meandering Ourthe, the landscape in Comblain takes on the character of a geological landscape which, with its caves and rocks, has attracted many visitors since the late 19th century. Given the evolution of tourism and leisure practices, the village’s appeal has fluctuated. Today, these activities are divided between a ‘nature’ component in its ‘experiential’ form (walking, cycling, climbing, kayaking, etc.) and an ‘educational’ aspect – school trips coming for a day out, due to a lack of sufficient accommodation capacity.