Simone Guillissen facts for kids

Simone Guillissen-Hoa (born March 7, 1916, in Peking – died May 30, 1996, in Brussels) was a famous Belgian architect. She was one of the very first women architects in Belgium. She was also the first woman to design and build a house there. After World War II, she helped rebuild many homes and buildings. She designed many modern houses that fit in with the local style. She often used materials found nearby.

Her Life Story

Simone was born in Beijing, China. Her father was a Chinese engineer. Her mother was a Polish-Jewish writer. Her brother, Leon Hoa, also became an architect. He worked in France and China.

Simone studied at the Henriette Dachsbeck high school in Brussels. Then she went to La Cambre to study architecture. She graduated in 1938. She was only the fourth woman to graduate from that school in architecture.

After graduating, she worked with Charles Van Nueten, her teacher. Later, she finished her training in Zurich with Alfred Roth. In 1937, she married Jean Guillissen. Even though they separated before the war, she kept using his last name.

During World War II, Simone was part of the resistance movement. This means she secretly fought against the enemy. Because of this, she was sent to a very difficult camp called Ravensbrück concentration camp. Later, she was moved to another camp called the Agfa commando.

Her Work as an Architect

Designing Buildings

In 1947, Simone started her architecture work again. She helped with programs to rebuild places after the war. For a few years (1952–1956), she worked with another architect named Jacques Dupuis [fr].

In 1957, she completed one of her most amazing projects. It was a large villa called La Quinta in La Roche. She designed it with different areas for different uses. In 1947, she also got a big job to design a sports center in Jambes. This project was finished in the early 1960s.

She also designed a special institute for blind people in 1953. In the early 1970s, she helped build student homes in Louvain-la-Neuve. In 1980, she finished building the House of Culture in Tournai. She worked with other architects on this project.

Other Important Roles

Besides her own building designs, Simone Guillissen-Hoa also worked as a special advisor. She advised the French Ministries of Public Health (1946–47) and the Ministry of Culture (1967–68).

She was also a member of important groups. These included the S.C.A.B and the UfvAB. The UfvAB was a group for women architects in Belgium. It was started in 1978 by Dita Roque-Gourary, another woman architect.

Simone also served on judging panels for architecture competitions. She judged at the Saint-Luc school in Liège. She also judged for the F.A.B. competition and the Van de Ven competition in 1964. She had won an award in that same competition just one year before.

What She Built

Simone Guillissen-Hoa designed many houses and other buildings. Most of them are in Belgium and Brussels. She built them between 1942 and 1980. Her most well-known projects were done when she worked with Jacques Dupuis. But her work was much more than just those four years. The list below shows new buildings she designed. She also helped fix up and change existing buildings.

• 1947: Villa, 92 avenue Lancaster in Uccle.
• 1948: Jambes Sports Center, Sports Park and Ball Stands.
• 1949: Double house, 22 avenue Bel-Air in Uccle.
• 1950: Building, 6 avenue Bel-Air in Uccle.
• 1950: House, 77 avenue des Chênes in Uccle.
• 1950: Villa, 57 avenue Alphonse XIII in Uccle.
• 1954: Villa, 282 chaussée de Malines in Wezembeek.
• 1954: Grandstands of the sports center of Jambes.
• 1955: Apartment building, 88 avenue Legrand in Ixelles.
• 1955: Tenzer house, 69 avenue général Lotz in Uccle.
• 1955: Villa, 13 avenue des Pavots in Kraainem.
• 1956: House, 95 rue du Tomberg in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
• 1957: Residence of Assche, 35 avenue des Lauriers in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
• 1960: Villa "La Quinta" à la Roche Tangissart, 91 avenue des Cerisiers in Baisy-Thy.
• 1960: House, 7 rue Marie Depage in Uccle.
• 1960: Group of 2 houses, 120 route Gouvernementale in Kraainem.
• 1961: Villa, 82 drève de la Fauvette in Linkebeek.
• 1963: Apartment building, 21 rue Langeveld in Uccle.
• 1968: Villa in Coq-sur-mer.
• 1971: Group of 2 student housing buildings in Louvain-la-Neuve.
• 1980: House of culture of Tournai.

Projects with Jacques Dupuis

• 1952: Villa (now taken down), 29 avenue des Genêts in Rhode-Saint-Genèse.
• 1953: City for old workers in Quaregnon.
• 1953: Jewelry Degreef, 24-26 rue au Beurre in Uccle.
• 1953: House Steenhout, 47 avenue Napoléon in Uccle. This house was named a special Brussels heritage site in 2011.
• 1954: Nursery School in Frameries.
• 1954: Center for the Blind and Amblyopic in Ghlin.

Awards and Prizes

Simone Guillissen-Hoa was highly respected by other architects and critics of her time. She is often the only woman mentioned in books about modern Belgian architecture. She won many awards and prizes for her designs.

• 1939: Won an award at the "Mobilier Type" competition in Zurich.
• 1942: Won an award at the "Art et Industrie" competition.
• 1945: Won an award at the Social Centre's Jette competition.
• 1954: Received a special mention (third place tie) at the Prix Van de Ven.
• 1963: Won first place at the Prix Van de Ven.