Brussels, the capital of Belgium, played a vital role in the history of modern architecture at the turn of the century. Since 1890 a group of young architects such as Victor Horta (1861–1947), Paul Hankar (1861–1901), O. van Rijselberghe (1855–1929), and Henri van de Velde (1863–1957), to name just a few, were essential in creating a new art: the Art Nouveau. Versatile in many disciplines, their buildings would be designed into the finest detail encompassing building facades, interior spaces, decorative structures, furniture, wallpaper designs, doorknobs, and sometimes even the dress for the hostess. This aesthetic quest in search for perfect harmony would dominate the avant-garde architecture until the eve of World War I. 

During the Interbellum, movements with more vigor and amplitude promoted a rationalization of the building process. In order to solve the problems of Brussels’s overcrowded inner-city area, garden cities were developed in its suburbs. Notorious examples are the Cité Moderne (1923, St.-Agatha-Berchem) by Victor Bourgeois (1897–1962), the Kapelleveld (1926, St.Lambrechts-Woluwe) by Huibrecht Hoste (1881–1957), and Le Logis (1927, Boisfort/Bosvoorde) by Jean-Jules Eggericx (1884–1963) and Louis van der Swaelmen (1883–1929).

Besides these collective habitations, these avant-garde architects also experimented with individual residences. Henri van de Velde’s house in Tervuren (1928), Hoste’s bourgeois house in Woluwe St. Pierre (1932) and by L.H.De Koninck’s (1896–1984) Dotremont house in Uccle (1932) illustrate how, once liberated from traditional construction methods, their technical virtuosity reached a most refined plastic expression.

The designs for public buildings during that period were mainly experimentation grounds with the new material rein-forced concrete and complex building programs. Horta’s Palais des Beaux-Arts (1928) has both classical and Art Deco stylistic features and is built in reinforced concrete. The complicated plan reveals the architect’s primary concern, namely, to accommodate a complex building program on an irregular sloping site. The Institut Bordet (1934) by Gaston Brunfaut (1899–) and Stanislas Jansinsky (1901–), with its white-colored balconies, form an objective expression of its hospital function. And the Sanatorium of Tombeek (1935) by Maxime Brunfaut (1909–) illustrates how by the end of the 1930s, architecture had become truly functional.

During the years following World War II, a succession of different architectural tendencies would leave their undeniable mark on the urban landscape. The North-South connection, a master plan developed back in the 19th century, took until 1945 to be completed. This urban intervention longitudinally dissected the city and left a whole area that needed to be redeveloped. A variety of public buildings in a number of styles were erected, such as the new colossal National Bank building (1945) by M.Van Goethem, the Kunstberg/Mont des Arts (1947) by J.Ghobert, the State Administrative Center (1955) by the group Alpha (H.Kuyck, M.Lambrichts, G.Riguier), and the Central Station (1952) designed by Horta and completed under M. Brunfaut.

Housing programs, both individual and collective ones, remained the most important architectural tasks during this post-war period. Villas, with facades in noble materials, such as natural French stone, adorned Brussels’s most prominent boulevards leading to suburbs such as Tervueren and Uccle/Ukkel. Few of these buildings have a modern character. Exceptions are the residences in Uccle/Ukkel (1954) by L.J.Boucher (1929–), J.P.Blondel (1924–), and O.Filippone (1927–). Row houses, the most common type of townhouses in Brussels, formed continuous street elevations in new neighborhoods such as Evere, Koekelberg, and Woluwe. Awarded the Van de Ven Prize for architecture in 1954, E.Delatte’s (1910–) design for his own house sets the standard: a garage and entry hall on the ground level, daytime spaces on the first floor, nighttime spaces on the second floor, and a brick facade. Apartment buildings were an attempt to change the monotony of this typology. Noteworthy examples are the apartment buildings (1949) by Josse Franssen in Schaarbeek, the duplex apartments in the high-rise tower (1954) by W.Van der Meeren in Evere, and the Model City on the Heysel/ Heizel (1958) by R.Braem, Coolens, Panis, and Van Doosselaere and the firms L’Equerre and Structures. The latter created an entirely new, autonomous, harmonious, and lively neighborhood in close travel distance to downtown.

Whereas before World War II, modernism would be generated in Europe and emulated in the United States; after World War II, Europe borrowed ideas from America to further develop its cities. Public buildings such as the offices of the Prévoyance Sociale (PS), designed in 1957 by H.Van Kuyck (1902–), introduced the American technique of the curtain wall. The Corporate Headquarters Offices of the Bank Lambert (1965) were designed by Gordon Bunshaft (1909–90), a partner of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Although for the latter this project was merely an intermediate step in an evolving typology, for Brussels it represented a primer with its freestanding pillars that support the cross-shaped prefabricated concrete elements of the elevation. This procedure, which alleviated multiple shortcomings of the curtain wall, has been emulated in many projects. An example is the Glaverbel office building (1967, Watermael- Boisforts/ Watermaal-Bosvoorde) by R.Braem, P.Gullisen, A.Jacqmain (1921–), and V.Mulpas, with its perfect circular plan and its elevation of discrete blue-stone slabs attached to consoles in reinforced concrete. By the end of the 1960s, Brussels, with its office towers, curtain walls, flat roofs, and freestanding columns, had developed after the American model.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Belgian architecture freed itself from the doctrines of the International Style and redirected its attention to its historical architectural and urban heritage. At first various retro styles, such as neoecclecticism, neo-Art Nouveau and neo- Art Deco, were rekindled; yet they did not, besides some ersatz products, make any valuable contributions. The Belgian capital in search for its own identity did not find a new architectural style. Noteworthy for the period are some remarkable architectural and urban rehabilitation projects. The beautiful Salon du Concert Noble designed by H.Beyaert in the 19thh century became an integral part of a new office building. And in 1983, it was decided that the new Museum of Modern Art (R.Bastin, L.Beeck) at the Place Royale/Koningsplein had to be built completely below ground around a central courtyard to minimally impact this historically significant urban context.

The last decade of the century is marked by a rekindled interest in qualitative architecture. Typical for the 1990s is the work of H.Daem and P.Robberecht (1950–) whose minimalist architecture are virtually invisible interventions in existing situations in order to celebrate a work of art or a significant restored building element. In the Hufkens gallery (1992), for example, the classical facade was carefully restored while the body of the house was remodeled into exhibit spaces. The back elevation, with its free-form composition contrasting open versus closed parts, is incontestably modern. It is furthermore continued in the roof where it provides idiosyncratic light wells that, in reference to V.Horta’s nearby townhouses, help to illuminate the otherwise dark interior spaces.

Exemplary public buildings of the early 1990s are the projects by Ph. Samyn (1948–) and Partners. Their architecture may be characterized as contemporary high-tech executions of classical spatial compositions. His Brussimmo Office Building (1993), erected in the Leopold district where most of the European institutes have their headquarters, introduced the theme of the double skin. Consisting of two layers, it leaves a void for easy maintenance, to locate stairs, and to integrate the mechanical systems. By concentrating all secondary circulation and mechanical systems along the building’s perimeter, a flexible plan is created. Probably the most impressive building in the same area is the European Parliament (1998) by M.Bouquillon, J.van Pottelsberghe de La Potterie, and G.Maes. Whereas its spatial composition, with elliptic plan and central hall with vaulted ceiling, derives from classical sources, its materials and details are undeniably modern and executed with state- of-the-art technologies. Most important, it forms a new landmark for Brussels and symbolizes the city’s new role as capital of the European community.

HENDRIKA BUELINCKX

Sennott R.S. Encyclopedia of twentieth century architecture, Vol.1 (A-F).  Fitzroy Dearborn., 2005.

ARCHITECTS: BELGIUM 

INTERNAL LINKS

ART NOUVEAU;

FUTHER READING

Bekaert, Geert, Hedendaagse architectuurin België, Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo, 1995; 2nd edition, as Contemporary Architecture in Belgium, translated by Ferdinand du Bois, 1995

Bontridder, Albert, Dialoog tus sen licht en s tilte, Antwerp, Belgium: Hélios, 1963

De Kooning, Mil (editor), Horta and After: 25 Masters of Modern Architectu re in Belgium,

Ghent, Belgium: Ghent University Press, 1999

Dubois, Marc, Philippe Samyn: Architectu re and Enginee ring, 1990–2 000, Basel, Switzerland, and Boston: Birkhauser, 1999

Jacobs, Steven, Works in Architecture: Paul Robbrecht and H ilde Daem, Ghent, Belgium: Ludion Press, 1998

Puttemans, Pierre, Architecture moderne en Belgique, Brussels: Vokaer, 1974

Strauven, Francis, L’architecture en Belgique, 1970 –80, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium: CRA Unite Architecture, 1981

Van Bergeijk, Herman, and Otakar Mácel, Birkhäuser Architekturfüh rer: Belgien, Niede rlande, Luxe mburg: 2 0 Jahrhundert, Basel, Switzerland, and Boston: Birkhauser, 1998; as Birkhauser Architectural Guide: Belgium, the Nethe rlands, Luxemb ourg: 20 th Century, translated by Graham Broadribb