Bruxelles Chantier

Europe, born to unite, struggles to manifest itself in the face of current crises. Brussels, with its isolated European district, disconnected from the city, embodies this dissonance. The COVID crisis left 300,000 m² of vacant office space, leading to a reconfiguration under Cityforward. However, the dominance of office spaces threatens to perpetuate a stagnant environment. The challenge is crucial: to propose new democratic ideals for Europe's future, in a context where democracy and unity are more threatened than ever.

In October 2024, I immerse myself in the European district of Brussels with a 1m² orange frame, attempting to photograph the 21 European buildings from both inside and outside. Each attempt meets the same response: "It’s private," "Forbidden." As the Bowmaster competition begins on these 300,000 m², our project "Bruxelles Chantiers" proposes to rethink this space as a democratic ideal, offering three actions: propose, experiment, deliberate. We start with parliamentary residencies, where randomly selected European citizens will live for a week in these buildings to discuss our shared future. Next, through civic observation towers, we will offer cultural spaces open to citizen initiatives. Finally, we will deliberate in an urban cycle, an architecture where everyone’s voice finds an equal and open place. The parliamentary residency transforms existing buildings by shifting circulation paths within the plots. Walkways make life visible inside the buildings, uniting them. The ground floor breaks the boundaries between public and private spaces. The heart of the block becomes a public agora, where the urban cycle, a space for deliberation and debate, forms the foundation of our civic observation tower, Composed of adaptable volumes, this tower becomes a catalyst for initiatives. This volumes: this drums resonate, creating moments of cultural life. A crane anchored at the junction of the buildings moves, enabling the site’s metamorphosis. Residency after residency, the drums echo through the European district, calling for diversity, communion, and possible futures. All of this to create Brussels: the construction of Europe.