Henning Larsen Architects has released plans to transform the Brouck’R, a city block facing Brussels’ bustling Place De Brouckère in Belgium. 

The new redevelopment plan will bring 48,000 square meters of commercial, residential, hotel and green space to the Belgian capital. 

Developed in collaboration with Brussels-based studio a2rc and developers Im-mobel Group and BPI Real Estate, the scheme will expand the huge potential of the historical site, preserving the recognizable character of the area while introducing new communities for living and working.

Henning Larsen Architects takes cues from traditional and contemporary heritage of the city to create a vibrant mixed-use destination for the city in the 21st century.

Reclaiming an urban area formerly dominated by corporate offices, Brouck’R will unify city living and working in a single, central city block that opens onto the grand Place de Brouckère. The design for the block balances the architectural heritage of Brussels’s grand Belle Epoque structures with a contemporary approach to style and scale.

"Cities must be places where people can move freely and fluidly, finding personal ways to connect with the city around them," explained Jacob Kurek, Henning Larsen Partner in charge of Brouck’R. 

"Brussels, while one of Europe’s oldest cities, has a rich urban fabric and thriving culture that makes it feel youth- ful. This, plus the city’s willingness to innovate and reinvent itself, makes this an incredibly exciting pro- ject to be involved in."

Bringing Public Life Back to the Center

Place de Brouckère, located within the Brussels’ central Pentagon, was once a bustling pedestrian plaza but fell out of popular use as the city emphasized automobile and large-scale construction projects in the mid-20th century. The "Brusselization" of the city, as this growth came to be known, resulted in an urban core hollowed of residential spaces as many Brusselaars moved to the city’s outer neighborhoods.

Brouck’R expands on successful local efforts to pedestrianize and re-center civic life in Brussels’ urban core, wrapping an entire block with apartments and student accommodations at a scale largely unseen in the city center. The design comprises 311 new residences, divided between typical apartment and student-geared accommodations (see facts below.) The courtyard at the building’s center will be a green oasis for the residents, with gardens at the ground level and trellises/green walls that climb upwards along the south and west internal facades. Commercial and retail program, which makes up nearly a quarter of the development, will anchor the buildings at ground level.

"The whole concept behind the scheme for Brouck’R is to bring back its original energy, to bring back the things that have been lost in translation over the years," said Kurek. "We see it less as a new devel- opment than as a revival of an exciting, forgotten heritage."

Negotiating Heritage and the Future

Brouck’R’s four facades each face different urban conditions; the iconic row of 19th-century facades lin- ing the Place de Brouckère will remain, fronting new construction behind. The remaining three façades will appear continuous, broken down into modules that change every 18-20 meters, an approach that links the design to walking pace, rather than at the speed of traffic.

A variety of brick construction types to reduce the scale of the massing. Looking up, the building’s upper floors will be clad in slim, light-colored material that visually marks not just a difference in program types but in living styles. Where the brick-clad apartments that comprise the bulk of the residential pro- gram visually link to the surrounding context, the block’s cloud-like top suggests a new outlook on urban life.

Henning Larsen’s work often stretches between the architectural and urban scales, with similar projects underway in San Francisco’s Mission Rock development, the Etobicoke Civic Center and Plaza in Toronto, and the NØRR Saint Denis development in Paris. 

Brouck’R will rise in concert with Brussels’ expanding pedestrian zone, establishing a new community in the city center dedicated to street-level activity. Construction on Brouck’R is expected to commence in mid-2021 and reach completion in 2024.

Project facts

Lead Architect: Henning Larsen Architects (Denmark)

Local Architect: a2rc (Belgium)

Developers: BPI Real Estate and Immobel

Program: total 40,400 m2 -182 apartments, 129 student rooms, hotel with 145 rooms, office building of 8,840m2, 3,220m2 retail space

All images courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects

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