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International team selected to plan offices for European Commission in Brussels

A five-strong international team has won the "Projet Loi 130" urban planning competition organised by the Brussels-Capital Region to improve the quality of the Rue de la Loi area of the city’s European Quarter by "creating a neighborhood where offices, housing, businesses and public spaces coexist harmoniously".

Some 28 designs were submitted to the competition, later reduced to a shortlist of nine. The winning team is made up of:

  • Latz + Partner Landscape Architecture Urban Planning (Germany)
  • Perkins + Will (UK)
  • Mc2 Estudio de Ingeniería (Spain)
  • Rafael de la-Hoz Arquitectos (Spain) as project leader
  • Técnica y Proyectos (Spain)

The plan includes offices for 5,250 European Commission workers, a visitor centre, 3,000 sq m of restaurants and shops, public spaces, green areas and two childcare centres.

Monica von Schmalensee, the competition jury chair, said: "Architecturally, this complex and challenging competition fulfilled very high standards with three innovative winning designs.

"As a jury we especially valued the large and accessible public spaces the first prize winner will create and how the buildings integrate into the urban context. This will bring benefits not only to staff working there but also to residents and people passing by."

Rudi Vervoort, Brussels-Capital Region’s president, said: "We are very pleased with the outcome of the competition.

"Thanks to very constructive cooperation between the European Commission and the Brussels-Capital Region, this emblematic competition resulted in a project that represents a significant milestone in the implementation of our own Projet Urbain Loi that aims at finding sustainable, energy-efficient solutions for the redevelopment of the European quarter of Brussels."

The first phase of the construction is due to start in 2025; the full complex is due to be completed by 2035.

Image: Brussels’ "European Quarter"

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