there to here
Brussels identities from A to Z
Brussels
Julien De Smedt, 33, is the great hope of Belgian architecture. He first gained international recognition for his pioneering architectural office PLOT in Copenhagen that he set up with fellow architect Bjarke Ingels in 2001. Since then, among numerous other projects, he has drafted a design for a building in the form of the letters BE (for Belgium) and recently opened offices of his new firm JDS Architects in Brussels and abroad. A Schaerbeek native who grew up in a family of Frenchspeaking Brusseleers, he left the city at the age of 20 to receive an architectural education in Europe and the US. His first ever project in his hometown looks likely to be a lift to one of the Atomium’s balls. We asked this quintessential Brusseleer how he felt about the city now that he was back and what he would do to the city’s skyline if he could have his way. 32 www.thebulletin.be September 24 2009
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significance anyway. Belgium has turned into a brand you can play with, like we did with our proposed project for Brussels’ Cité Administrative [Rijks Administratief Centrum] – two buildings, together forming a giant BE. The BE building was our attempt to present Belgium as something positive – and this at a moment when the country could not even form a government. So naturally, our project was not chosen. My hands are itching to get busy in Brussels. Here is a city that has not yet found its architectural language. Brussels is in a state of chaos – it is really fucked up – but that’s also challenging. There is work to do here, there is a subject to deal with. You are not building in a desert, because there is a historical and cultural context. Young architects are looking for their place here right now – it isn’t easy for them. We ourselves have lost all of the Brussels projects that we wanted to do: Cité Administrative, Rue de la Loi, Tour & Taxis. This was due to “different ambitions”. We present challenging projects that aim to unlock the city’s potential. The various and intricate powers in charge apparently have other priorities: architecture isn’t important, the price per square metre is. This means that Brussels systematically chooses projects that are not the best, just the cheapest. The result of this: Brussels builds almost nothing but de la merde (crap). What to do about it? The city should try and break through its crust of mediocrity, and try to realise a couple of important architectural projects, which would attract a new range of creative players and investors. This would instantly raise the level, boost urban development and foster a more progressive view on city development. But for now, the people making the decisions, lack the courage. However, things are changing, slowly. Globalisation makes politicians aware that such mechanisms are necessary to bring about positive change. Some politicians are ready to deal with this problem, and have publicly chosen sides over the issue. There just aren’t that many of them yet.
‘The city should try to break through its crust of mediocrity with new architecture’ Parts of the city centre used to be grimy. The Dansaert area was known as ‘Chicago’; youths would come from that part of town to the Mont des Arts, where we were skateboarding, to kick our faces in... And now I have my offices there. Of course, there are still tensions and the exchange is fragile, but at least it exists. If you grow up in this country, with its different linguistic communities, whether you’re Walloon, Flemish or from Brussels, you are very conscious of ‘the other culture’. There isn’t one stable, homogeneous culture such as, for instance, the French have. We don’t have their kind of clear and limpid selflove, their sort of abstract stability. The Belgian duality causes us to question ourselves. This is a positive ingredient in trying to change things. What is happening now in Belgian politics – each claiming his own culture – is mindless, and, in a global context, completely absurd. Let us cherish Belgian values, and not lose ourselves in silly regionalism! Yes, I find it hard to believe that Belgian culture could actually disappear, but maybe it’s more a question of us ‘getting over’ the issue... National identities aren’t so important anymore anyway; they’re more something to have fun with, a way to make demands in the name of something of which you know has no
Interview by Veerle Devos & Kristof Dams Image by Veerle Devos
SHUTTERSTOCK
“H
as Brussels changed much since I left it? Well, cities don’t change all that much in thirteen years. People do. I have changed much more than Brussels. But, yes, the town has become much more lively. Brussels has turned into an international town; there are more young people here and more EU citizens have moved into the centre. The population is increasingly turning into a mix.
f...
In praise o
The Justice Palace. Just look at the thing! This is one of the largest buildings in Europe; an entire neighbourhood was destroyed in order to build it. It’s a typical Belgian/ Brussels building, because of its enormity and the absurd and disruptive history of its origins. It is also a place where you can physically feel the difference between the upper and the lower town. The Marolles. That this old Brussels neighbourhood still exists, is remarkable and admirable, in view of the demolition and speculation it has had to endure. It has a very mixed population, lots of bars and restaurants, and a lively market. The Atomium. A fantastic construction. Not built for eternity, but as a temporary pavilion for the 1958 World Expo. It has since, however, become a piece of national heritage. We will therefore have to see if the heritage committee can summon up enthusiasm about our little lift. What bothers me is that anything old is approached in an almost religious way. Keeping the past is good, but this building needs to be transformed so that it adjusts to new needs, new rules, new financial realities... In order to remain, buildings should evolve! September 24 2009 w w w. t h eb u l l e t i n . b e 33
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