A NEW SOCLE FOR THE SCALE MODEL
The plaster scale model of the Book Tower was made by Angelo Fabre in Brussels, who completed it in October 1934. Van de Velde used it to persuade the university board into this, all in all, daring project. The Book Tower site was eventually not executed as proposed in the model: the little square and the two splendid faculty buildings were never constructed. Still, the scale shows how beautiful the entire complex, with its view on St Peter's Square (Sint-Pietersplein), would have been.
From April 28 until July 1, 1990, the model moved to the Van de Velde exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art. It perfectly survived the long flight. But in February 1999, a window cleaner tried the model as a step to reach a window, causing two giant holes. In 2000 it was skilfully restored by Krista Vercauteren and Benoit Van Sande. To give it better protection, the model was put into a plexiglass cage in 2001, keeping it dust-free, but unfortunately also making it extremely heavy. Moving it required at least 20 strong hands...
In 2007 a mover brought the model back from an exhibition, carelessly exposing it to the rain, causing it to crack and be stained by trails of water. The model was repaired by Judy De Roy in 2008.
All this called for a durable solution. Iwe Pée designed a solid oak veneer socle finished with ash wood, taking into account the rounded corners, the line pattern and the proportions that were so dear to Van de Velde. The construction is on truckles, but still has to be moved manually, for lack of remote control.
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