# BRUSSELS | Residence Palace | European Council | U/C



## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

45.000 sqm. superstructure (office and conference rooms) ; 15.000 sqm. infrastructure ; 2005 - 2013; (01/494).
Winning competition entry.



Services Performed :

· Architecture (with Studio Valle Progettazioni).
· Interior design (with Studio Valle Progettazioni). 
· Landscaping (with Studio Valle Progettazioni). 
· Structural Engineering (with Buro Happold).
· Project management.




Following the European enlargement, the EU Council needs an extension of his headquarters to accommodate the summit meetings and other high-level meetings, the offices of the Presidency and the General Secretary of the Council.

In January 2005 the EU council selects 25 groups of designers to participate to an international competition for the refurbishment of the Residence Palace building on rue de la Loi, in the heart of the European district of Brussels. The second stage of the competition take place from June to September 2005 with the 6 other remaining groups. The team SAMYN and PARTNERS, STUDIO VALLE PROGETTAZIONI, architects, BURO HAPPOLD, engineers, wins this 2005.09.12.

The Residence Palace complex was built between 1922 and 1927 by the Swiss architect Michel Polak as an early attempt to develop prestigious collective housing near the centre of the town. After a short-lived commercial success, the building was transformed into an office building by the Belgian state and at the end of 1960's a new section and facade were added to the rear of the building, on the rue de la Loi side. The original facades as well as the entrance halls are listed today among the protected historical built heritage of the town.

Following the official land-use guidelines, the extension of the building is planned on the north-east side with two new facades to convert the L-shaped building into a 'cube'. The enclosed court forms a large atrium that hosts the main entrance hall as well as providing the necessary volume for the new conference.

The shape of this volume follows the minimum needed surface for each room : from the press briefing room at level +2, to the main conference room for 250 persons at level +6 and the smaller dining room for 50 persons at level +10. Each room has an elliptical plan with the same center and principal axis but of different dimensions. The structure of the object is rigorously symmetrical even if it doesn't seem to be.

The new double facade, made of a harmonized patchwork of re-used wooden windows with simple crystal like single glazing (from the different European countries) provides the necessary acoustic barrier from the traffic noise of the Rue de la Loi-Wetstraat and it also offers a first thermal insulation for the inner space. Indeed, encouraged by the European Union regulations, a huge number of old houses windows around Europe will be refurbished in the coming years. As a result, millions of old wooden windows will be replaced by new and more airtight windows with double glazing. Only a small fraction will be reconditioned and reused as part of sustainable regeneration. It is proposed to make both a practical and a philosophical statement by re-using those traditional construction elements expressing the cultural diversity of the European Union[/QUOTE]



























http://www.european-council.europa.eu/media/287642/big08.jpg









http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01484/eu_residence_1484698c.jpg


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

Situtation at the start of last century:









http://static.skynetblogs.be/media/..._2565708_f77cd0e93686049a0642453a8a7f12ff.jpg









http://www.retroscoop.com/3rdparty/...ace/Residence_Palace_Brussel_Buitenkant_8.jpg

Situaton 2008:









http://www.adt-ato.be/sites/default/files/styles/zoom/public/images/Ill6_Residence Palace.jpg









http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2190/2209517785_426756f745_z.jpg

Situation 2011:








http://www.globalview.be/pictures/big/A_529245.jpg









http://www.globalview.be/pictures/big/A_518335.jpg


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

*Situation- Latest updates from the BE forum: May 2013*



ced_flanders said:


>





Bazar said:


> Update 18/3:
> 
> 
> 
> ...





robert said:


> Update 14-04-2013





Bazar said:


> Update 14-5-2013:





Bazar said:


> Update, vandaag ad achterkant vh gebouw



....


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

An international thread on this building was overdue. Thanks for creating one. It is certainly a controversial one. 

I am already eager to know how this rather unconventional cladding is going to look like in reality. The idea of it sounds nice. The egg itself is ... weird.


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

On the Belgium forum we are also highly suspicious about the eventual outcome of the cladding. Epescially because they are going to use historical wooden window frames from 18th and early 19th century terraced homes demolished in Brussels. How will they integrate this in the steel outer framework? how will they maintain this wooden framework? Will it look like total chaos or rather artistic? We don't know, renders are vague.


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## leftphalange (Apr 6, 2012)

When is it going to be ready?


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

^^Frankly I don't know. I guess by the start of 2014.



ghost dog said:


> 6/7


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

The facade concept is very fascinating. I hope its also working out and is not a complete madness when it comes to cleaning and maintenance. This might be the first EU building in Brussels with real architectural merit.



EliGetto said:


> I had read the cladding would be done with old window frames, this seems to be a test, right?
> 
> 
> 
> Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

...



Bazar said:


> N Update 17-7-2013:


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

*EU | Europa (Europese Raad / Conseil Européen) | U/C UPDATE AUGUST 14*



WallyGator said:


> Quelle structure!
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Phoenyxar said:


> Eigenlijk best wel een indrukwekkend ding, dat komt op foto's niet zo over.


...


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## bolg (Aug 21, 2012)

joshsam said:


> On the Belgium forum we are also highly suspicious about the eventual outcome of the cladding. Epescially because they are going to use historical wooden window frames from 18th and early 19th century terraced homes demolished in Brussels. How will they integrate this in the steel outer framework? how will they maintain this wooden framework? Will it look like total chaos or rather artistic? We don't know, renders are vague.


So are all those houses seen on one of the pictures in the first post demolished?


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

^^Yes, from the 50ties throughout the 70ties, this district was almost fully demolished to erect concrete, steel and glass. It's the real shame of Brussels, lots of history got lost. Transformed a livable district into a dead one containing only offices. It's completely dead afther 6PM and some streets are mere 6 lane streets for car wich are conjested all the time.

It's depressing really.

Luckely today change is on the way and residential towers are being build here also to make the district livable again.

Some remaints of how the area used to look are still visible like here: http://goo.gl/maps/1GcoK (zoom out slowly to see the difference with surroundings.)



















http://www.revolve-magazine.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/rue_de_la_loi42-rs.jpg









http://www.euubn.eu/Design/Assets/images/wetstraat.jpg









http://static1.hln.be/static/photo/2013/0/12/7/20130116130950/media_xll_5473672.jpg


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## bolg (Aug 21, 2012)

joshsam said:


> ^^Yes, from the 50ties throughout the 70ties, this district was almost fully demolished to erect concrete, steel and glass. It's the real shame of Brussels, lots of history got lost. Transformed a livable district into a dead one containing only offices. It's completely dead afther 6PM and some streets are mere 6 lane streets for car wich are conjested all the time.
> 
> It's depressing really.
> 
> Luckely today change is on the way and residential towers are being build here also to make the district livable again.


I'm actually quite relieved that it wasn't a recent demolition as I first thought. At least we seem to have learned something from the past, even though it looks like a huge loss to Brussels.


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

August 17



Phoenyxar said:


> Eigenlijk best wel een indrukwekkend ding, dat komt op foto's niet zo over.


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## Ulpia-Serdica (Oct 24, 2011)

lumumba said:


>


...


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## Wimpie25 (Dec 4, 2009)

Pretty impressive building, on the architectual side.


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## centralforumdistrict (May 19, 2015)

joshsam said:


> ^^Yes, from the 50ties throughout the 70ties, this district was almost fully demolished to erect concrete, steel and glass. It's the real shame of Brussels, lots of history got lost. Transformed a livable district into a dead one containing only offices. It's completely dead afther 6PM and some streets are mere 6 lane streets for car wich are conjested all the time.
> 
> It's depressing really.
> 
> Luckely today change is on the way and residential towers are being build here also to make the district livable again.


I disagree. If we followed your way we would have no space to live, we need skyscrapers and we needs to know down old buildings or our entire country will be concrete.

Livable districts involves things like not building huge shopping malls, out of town centers, and building for cars.

Instead of building shopping malls, invest in street shops! Instead of having bottoms of skyscrapers leading to office fronts, put a shop there! We need the same facilities found in malls in our streets!

Ban cars! Limit traffic to BRT/Trams, just one lane for taxis who have no priority (vans at night only), and cycle lane! No parking for cars!

I also agree that we need more residential buildings in these places. However, I would attempt to make these developments hotel and youth heavy, as families need more exclusive areas.


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

Uhm, the European disrict doesn't even has skyscrapers or highrises. It's all 10 storey midrise dull and blank wall to wall offices with blue reflective windows.


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## centralforumdistrict (May 19, 2015)

joshsam said:


> Uhm, the European disrict doesn't even has skyscrapers or highrises. It's all 10 storey midrise dull and blank wall to wall offices with blue reflective windows.


Still those mid rise have more space than lowrise, and those tiny houses can be found anywhere.

What I was trying to point out was that doing what you were think would be bad for us, we need to tear down those buildings to make more room for us.


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## ThatOneGuy (Jan 13, 2012)

Wonderful facade!


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