The project for the ‘rue de la Loi’ has two objectives: to increase the public space area along the street and to make a strong image of the presence of European institutions in the heart of Brussels.
Both objectives are very consistent in our proposal and unified by the same symbolic dimension: the European space must be legible and needs remarkable points. Europe at the heart of Brussels cannot do otherwise than to live with the city and add to its quality. In this project, Europe is symbolic.
From these purposes, we conduct a series of reflections on the city and the program to develop, and two operational strategies. The reflections were examined separately and drove to their limits in two scenarios: the ‘tabula rasa’ and the stratification. Both scenarios are guided by the main objectives mentioned before. They were not meant to find specific solutions, but to consider the capabilities of each approach and the urban rules that can be learned from them.
The final proposal is composed of a series of possible spatial configurations that use the rules of the scenarios. They also interpret the different urban themes, the delivered program, the condition of each plot and building. Briefly, they set the rules of a " toolbox" that provides operational tools for the urban project of the ‘rue de la Loi’. |