Retail
EU
EU
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EU
EU
Residential
Lobby
Restaurant
/ Cafe
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EU
EURO SQUARE
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Offices
RUE DE LA LOI . BRUSSELS
Offices
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Retail
OFFICE FOR METROPOLITAN ARCHITECTURE - NICOLAS FIRKET ARCHITECTS
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RUE DE LA LOI . BRUSSELS
OFFICE FOR METROPOLITAN ARCHITECTURE - NICOLAS FIRKET ARCHITECTS
OWNERSHIP MOSAIC DECRYPTION
POTENTIAL VACANCIES AND PRIVATE AGENDAS
1/ ALLOCATED PROGRAM: +288.000 m²
Removed : 165.000 m²
Built : 453.000 m²
Recent builings
housing the
Commission
4 Co-owmers
3 Co-owners
11 Co-owners
GBH/
Buelens
Housing
Retail
Us.- 2021
Emph. - 2021
Emph. - 2030
Gillion/ Sogil
Us. - 2025
City Garden
Real Estate
Europtical Property
Investors
Listed
building
Building
permit
Groupe
Liegois
Building permit,
housing the
Commission
( Total = 82. 000 m² )
EU Commission
Emph. - 2022
Emph. - 2029
Emph. - 2047
Other offices : 39. 000 m²
Construction
prop. IVG
Belgian
State
Property
Obsolescent
multi owners
105 Co-owners
Commission: 43. 000 m2
Buildings housing
the EU Commission
Commercial: 7. 000 m²
J
EU Commission
H
Obsolescent buildings
housing the EU Commission
Listed
building
E
Building Permit
I
Emph. - 2021
Listed building
CDP
Low
Maes,
public occupancy
Building
Management
Service
Corporation
Scientology
Church
D
Commission: 43. 000 m²
( Total = 87. 000 m² )
C
High
Construction
Fortis property
Housing the Commission
Total Fina
Potential incentive
in a redevelopment
Local representatives
Strategic site for a polar development
Housing : 16. 000 m²
Commercial:
28. 000 m²
F
A
AXA,
Builiding permit
Vastgoed
maatschappj
( Total = 284. 000 m² )
B
G
Potential
Obsolescent, multi
occupancy, empty offices
13 co- owners
Commission : 277. 000 m²
Building permit
Commercial: 18. 000 m²
Other offices : 31. 000 m
Fortis
Existing project
potential incentive
if increased FAR
Recent crisis effect ?
Thon
Strong agenda:
Hotel / residential project
Already rejected a
collaboration with the region
Foreign owner
Location is less strategic
Dexia Atenor
For sale
(building permit)
Recent crisis effect ?
Sole determinant developer
Very eager to collaborate,
in clear conditions
2
Housing : 91. 000 m²
2/ INCENTIVE PROGRAM: + 91.000 m²
Removed : 49.000 m²
Built : 140.000 m²
45% public
18% public
26 511 m2
66 865 m2
OMA-NFA /
RUE DE LA LOI
TWO SETS OF CONTRADICTORY DEMANDS DEFINE THIS COMPETITION:
TO IMPROVE THE URBAN QUALITIES OF THE ALREADY CONGESTED RUE DE LA LOI BY
DOUBLING ITS DENSITY.
TO CREATE A NEW EUROPEAN QUARTER ON A SITE ALREADY OCCUPIED BY A CLASSICAL
EXAMPLE OF THE TRADITIONAL EUROPEAN CITY.
THE FIRST ISSUE IS MORPHOLOGICAL, THE SECOND SYMBOLIC.
TO ADDRESS THE MORPHOLOGY, WE INTRODUCE IN BRUSSELS THE ANCIENT EUROPEAN
TYPOLOGY OF THE ‘‘PORTICO’’, THE CLASSICAL EMBLEM OF THE ‘‘PUBLIC’’. IT FORMS A
SCREEN OF SHIFTED FOOTPRINTS THAT INTRODUCES IN THE CLAUSTROPHOBIC STREET
WALL OF THE RUE DE LA LOI A LATERAL DEPTH OF OPENINGS THAT DEFINES A LINEAR
POLITICAL SPACE, IF NOT AN AGORA. THE PORTICO IS ‘‘CAPPED’’ WITH FEDERATING ELEMENTS PARALLEL TO THE RUE DE
LA LOI THAT DEFINES A ““EUROPEAN”” AXIS.
AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THIS POLITICAL AXIS, HOUSING AND IN GENERAL, THE ““PRIVATE””, WILL BE ALIGNED
PERPENDICULAR TO THE STREET, SO THAT ITS BULK DOES NOT REINFORCE THE PRESSURE ON THE RUE DE LA LOI. AS
A SKYLINE, THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE ‘‘EUROPEAN’’ AND THE ‘‘PRIVATE’’ ORIENTATION, REPRESENTS A PROTOTYPE
OF RETROACTIVE PLANNING THAT IS NOT BASED ON THE BRUTE POWER OF THE TABULA RASA, BUT THAT ACCEPTS
THE GIVENS OF CONTEXT TO AVOID THE STERILITY OF A NEW BEGINNING THAT TYPICALLY DEFINES ARTICULATIONS OF
POLITICAL SPACE FROM WASHINGTON’’S MALL TO THE FORBIDDEN CITY.
TO ADDRESS THE SYMBOLISM, WE IDENTIFY TWO EUROPEAN ““SITES”” OR INTERRUPTIONS, IN THE RUE DE LA LOI.
TOGETHER WITH THE EXISTING, EUROPEAN ENTITIES, THE FORM A SEQUENCE OF
EUROPEAN FRAGMENTS EMBEDDED IN THE EXISTING BRUSSELS SUBSTANCE.
TOGETHER THIS CHAIN OF FRAGMENTS OFFERS AN EXEMPLARY DEMONSTRATION OF
THE COMBINATION OF THE MODERNITY AND HISTORY WHICH IS THE ESSENCE OF THE
EUROPEAN PROJECT.
RUE DE LA LOI . BRUSSELS
OFFICE FOR METROPOLITAN ARCHITECTURE - NICOLAS FIRKET ARCHITECTS