XDGA

Close to the other EU Institutional buildings, the LOI130 project is to become the Administrative Headquarters of the EU. The sheer vastness of this venue begs for the question: how to integrate such an XXL premise in a neighbourhood that wants to be urban, mixed and lively throughout the day, while creating an Institution that is less hermetic towards its surroundings?

In order to achieve this ambition, the central element of the project is a large, glazed, collective Void that crosses the entire site. It reveals the internal life of the Headquarter, connects all the elements of the project and lends itself to open programming.

The complex is essentially articulated in four parts: a base, low and mid raises, four high-rises and the Void. All parts and programmes (offices, visitor centre, the Day Nurseries and the Catering) are connected to and articulated around the Void.

A series of public spaces furthermore animate the project and favour the relation with the context:
- a pedestrian and bicycle Passage cutting the midrise building volumes, intervalled by the retails and the main entrances to the EU Commission.
- a large, column free gallery space mediates between Rue de la Loi and the building volume.
- a garden on the level of the Chaussée d’Etterbeek, that hosts the metro entrance, forms a spatial unity with the Jardin de Maelbeek, as well as a forecourt to the Visitor Center inside.

In continuity with the developments of the "Plan Canal", the project supports the formidable opportunities that come with a rapidly changing district, where the desired programmatic mix transforms the industrial character of the place while preserving part of its memory.

Here, industrial and infrastructural activities come together in the footsteps of an ancient alluvial plain to form a "small island", that is part of a wider constellation of activities.
Our proposal supports the urban and programmatic ambition envisioned by the plan, by enhancing the specific size of the plot and by promoting the encounter of different activities. The urban intervention, as well as the architectures associated with it, place at the centre of concerns the production of spaces offering great comfort of habitability combined with a strong flexibility of occupations.

The design of the project refers to the intermediate scale present on the site, between large commercial warehouses and neighbouring urban blocks. It is based on this scale in order to respond to the community of activities present on the site, while maintaining various ways of living according to current standards. While its different parts offer possibilities for simple and economical habitats, the project postulates on the exceptional character of the encounters between the different practices rather than the originality of its built forms.

The streets and public squares of the centre of Bruges retain a remarkable harmony with their buildings. However, the square ‘t Zand’, situated on the border of the inner city, is an exception to this rule and presents itself as a large empty space with no real relation to the surrounding buildings. Only the concert hall at the southern edge of the space is somewhat related to the scale of the square. The square is intensely used by a variety of large scale activities that create a lively, functional and essential part of the city. In order to keep this functional quality to its maximum, one should provide the space with a focus point, a ‘place-mark’, instead of strengthening the spatial definition of it borders. This place-mark creates a counterpoint to the spatial emptiness of the square and locates a meeting for when the square is used.

At the north side of the square we propose a circular, translucent canopy, the same width as the square. This object; a round bowl with a circular oculus in the middle, functions as both a sheltering roof and as a waterfall. The reflection of the water, the play of light and shadow, defines an everchanging atmosphere and experience. The object itself is as immaterial as possible; a translucent fabric suspended below a series of concentric rings which catch the rainwater into a cascade that flows gently towards the central waterfall opening. At the level of the square additional fountains are foreseen, their change in flow and ebb providing a constant varying play of water. The new fountain canopy becomes a point of attraction which allows the inhabitation of the empty vastness of the square and creates opportunities for different activities and appropriations.

The goal of the multidisciplinary study ‘Metropolitan Coastal Landscape 2100’ is to develop the building blocks for and from the ongoing processes and developments through research by design. By aiming –ambitiously- at 2100 as a frame of mind we approach the Belgian coast and it’s hinterland as a whole on a long term perspective, in its international context. Both the urban landscape as the interwoven anthropomorphic ‘green’ landscape are the intrinsic canvas for the coastal development study.

There is an urgent need for a larger frameset in which the urgencies emerging from very different sectors can be unified; a frame where ambitious visions and concrete projects can be set in a larger, qualitative context, looking past the current ‘business-as-usual’ approach. Rather than claiming absolute truths via a single masterplan, this study aims at provoking, stimulating and exploring relevant questions, opportunities and challenges through explorative scenarii.

The structurally differentiated scenarii for the Belgian coast elaborate specific –but not always apparent- existing qualities from the current natural or anthropomorphic coastal landscape. The extrapolation of these characteristics leads to four divergent, ambitious but plausible spatial principles for the organisation of a metropolitan landscape that is able to cope with the unpredictable dynamics of natural and sociological processes. Based on the qualities of these four perspectives for an alternate future the policies between stakeholders, governance and sectors can be guided towards an ambitious shared program of development strategies and concrete transformations.

In the last century, the Belgian coast has undergone a massive transformation. The scarcity of the coast is largely responsible for its success, as only 6 millimeters of coast are available for every Belgian. The building boom of the 1950s, held in check by simple regulations, led to the constitution of a fragmented linear city.

During the summer months the coast becomes the largest public space in the country, with an intensity of 30 people per linear meter; it has hence evolved from a purely natural environment to an urban area.

In order to protect the land from the sea, the open space is traditionally divided into an upper part and a lower part, a solid part and a soft part, an “urban” part and an “Arcadian” part. Transitioning between the two, the sea wall is a necessity and is now in need for improvement.

The proposal essentially consists of adding an urban form as a link between the seawall and the beach. The sloping surface of the dyke is replaced by a wide staircase that removes the spatial separation between the two and creates an urban object dedicated to recreation.

The context around the site is determined by the collision between the Belgian coast and the linear city and port of Zeebrugge. The environment can be read on a smaller scale as a patchwork of fragments, from the old to the new: pieces of the city, the beach, the port, the green areas, the industry and the agriculture, separated by road and rail infrastructure.

How can a company that manages large-scale electricity networks -specifically as far as England- position itself within this context?

Industrial installations often carry an intrinsic beauty linked to the mechanical logic that governs them. But this does not mean that ELIA want to express itself through this kind of image: in this context where living is in proximity of industry, in fact, this could provide a new element of friction.

We also do not want to hide the technical installations under an architectural coat. Our first proposal is to remove all installations and structures from sight by covering them in white: the contrast with the green of the surrounding park will reinforce the specificity of the installation.

The second step is to build the facilities on the ground floor and bring the park to a higher level, so that the wall effect disappears and the facilities are visible from above. This break in levels ensures absolute safety and produces an effective acoustic barrier effect.

For the park, we propose an artificial landscape built by parallel greens dikes ten meters high, which diagonally cut the two plots. The repeating pattern connects the two sites and ensures visual coherence from all orientations: the park opens in one direction, and closes in the other.
This green sculpture is also a public garden for the residents: a stop for tram, trees, stairs, water games and a stage invite to ownership. The aesthetic concerns involved respond perfectly to daily, frequent and varied use.