When, in the early eighties of the twentieth century the demolition of the ‘Casino
- Kursaal’ of Oostende (the Belgian seaside resort which, despite two devastating
world wars ánd the booming mass tourism, kept its exceptional yet heavily underestimated
emanation) and the construction of a new casino were considered, I designed an exclusive
building for one of the concerned real estate developers. A plan I realized, notwithstanding
the fact that I remained a fervent proponent of the conservation of the existing
casino (An exceptional design by the architect Leon Stynen [1899/1990] - a creation
that was, during the restoration to come, brutally violated and bereft of all its
power, equilibrium and beauty, by the bluntly added and hideous top floor.) I accepted
this assignment out of pure love for what I consider as my favorite sea resort. I
assumed that Oostende deserved a casino that would, after decades of hibernation,
put its name - ones and for all - on the cultural map of the world. A building that
would restore the splendor of the past. I decided to incorporate a number of elements
that referred directly to the sea, namely, the rising sun, the waves, the fishing
boat and the pearl oyster - the symbol of the beautiful pearl Oostende ones was and,
in fact, still is. All these elements had to merge into a luminous construction that
would have a warning function for the incoming ships. A time and space transcending
junction where land, sea ánd air fused into an indissoluble entity. A building that
would stand for the materialization the - bio » « centric - vision in general and
the - bio » « centric - architecture in particular
bie baldwin elbio
Space artist.
