page_title: Alphonse Balat
section_title: Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
hierarchical_section_title: Alphonse Balat / Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
caption_attribution_description: English: Laeken (Belgium), internal view of the big greenhouse dome so called "Jardins d'hiver" which is part of the Royal Greenhouses of Alphonse Balat (1874-1890). Français&#160;: Laeken (Belgique), vue intérieure du dôme de la grande serre dite des "Jardins d'hiver" faisant partie des serres royales de Alphonse Balat (1874-1890). Nederlands: Laken (België), interieur van de koepel van de grote kas genaamd de "Winter Gardens" deel uit van de Koninklijke Serres van Alphonse Balat (1874-1890) . Deutsch: Laeken (Belgien), innenansicht der Kuppel des große Gewächshaus als "Winter Gardens" Teil der Königlichen Gewächshäuser von Alphonse Balat (1874-1890). Español: Laeken (Bélgica), interior de la Cúpula de la gran invernadero llamado los "Jardins d'hiver", que es parte de los Invernaderos Reales de Alphonse Balat (1874-1890).
context_page_description: Alphonse Hubert François Balat was a Belgian architect.
context_section_description: His most successful architectural project are the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken. It consists of a huge complex of several dome-shaped buildings in iron and glass that are connected by glass-roofed galleries. The centerpiece is the domed 'Grand Jardin d'hiver' which is a circular interpretation of the Palm House of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  Working with new materials like iron and glass, Balat was obliged to abandon his 'classical' stance. This stimulated the imagination of the architect. In the steel constructions he introduced decorative motifs derived from plants and flowers. This formed a first step towards Art Nouveau architecture that was further developed by Victor Horta who served as an apprentice of Balat.
caption: Laeken, internal view of the big greenhouse dome so called "Jardins d'hiver" which is part of the Royal Greenhouses of Alphonse Balat
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