At the end of the Second World War, the Provincial House in Ghent was destroyed. From March 1945 onwards, the architect Valentin Vaerwyck designed a new complex, on which he continued to work alongside the young Jean Hebbelinck. The building was finally brought into use around 1960. For many years, many regarded this building as uninteresting, outdated and not very ‘modern’, and its demolition would not have been seen as a loss to Ghent’s heritage.

Yet this building does not stand on silicone; it is a model of durability, built to the highest standards. Anyone who visits it is impressed by the choice of materials, designed to withstand the test of time. This is not disposable architecture.