The Royal Snail

Architecture Olivier Simon & Julie Valette, Buro5

Architecture Olivier Simon & Julie Valette, Buro5

The hotel’s four buildings were crafted so as to blend harmoniously with each other and their setting.

All components of the hotel remain true to their origins and, most importantly, do not dominate the residential properties on either side. “This hotel can be called a heterotopia,” says Julie Valette of Buro 5, “a special place outside the world where you can be extracted from your everyday life, where you can be timeless and be able to feel something else…a performed utopia.”

Interior design Olivier Simon & Julie Valette, Buro5

The Royal Snail is proudly entrenched in its locale. Its design reflects the city’s past and present.

The city of Namur’s symbol—the snail—has been adopted by the hotel, as has the vision of influential artist Félicien Rops, whose paintings grace the restaurant. The result is a convenient blend of ecological thinking and regional integration.