This project is a proposal for the idea competition 'Imagine the future' of the Brussels Courthouse. The project won third prize, in this competition with almost 200 participants.Textual information about the project:The Courthouse deserves today, more than ever, a new
destiny. It has the appearance of a neglected monument, packed with a 20 years old
scaffolding. Plants are growing on the monumental facade, regularly
facade-components are falling down. The monument seems impossible to maintain,
renovation costs are rising.
On the other hand, the Courthouse seems to be designed
to maintain as a symbol of jurisdiction, that it is -not only for Brussels- but
also for Belgium and all over the world. Inside, countless references are made
to jurisdiction, the profession and the history This with in the shape of
statues, decorations and paintings, but also in the layout and the division of
the building. This is why it is for us important to keep the Juridical function
inside the Courthouse.
Next to that, the Courthouse has ever been, since its realization
in 1883, strategically positioned as a landmark on one of the seven hills of
Brussels. However, the building is a massive and interrupting element in the
structure of the city. Not only for car traffic, but especially for pedestrians
and cyclists. This problematic situation found its origin by the total demolition
of the housing quarter of the Marollen, the 'Galgenberg', to make room for the construction
of the Courthouse. The abusive name for an architect in the Brussels dialect 'Skieven
Architek', was given to the architect Joseph Poelaert. We could solve this
problem, by opening up the bottom layer of the building, making it a public zone
to climb up the hill from Miniemenstraat to Wolstraat, or from Wynantstraat to
Poelaert Square. By blurring the borders, the massive block of the courthouse
becomes an 'invisible element' within the structure of the city. This is our aim,
to make the courthouse on the level of movement by strolling or meandering
imperceptible, or maybe even insensible. This public layer we would like to
call 'Elysium', as a reference to the underground place, which was in Roman
mythology the final resting place of the virtuous and the brave. It becomes a combination
of streets and squares, and is connected to a broad variety of shops, bars and
other public facilities. The so-called streets with their arcades and ceilings,
have the character of a Moorish Bazaar. Each court yard or internal square has
its own theme, based on the human senses (hearing, taste, sight, smell, touch,
unconsciousness). This theme can go together with the functional division of
the shops that are connected to it.
With our gesture, we give this area back to the people
of Brussels, to whom it belonged long time ago. The surrounding area becomes a
lively and positive public realm. The extra function can solve another problem
too. The current condition of the monument is rather bad, if not calamitous. It
is uncertain if the Belgian Building Agency and the Federal Government have the
financial capacity to guarantee a successful renovation. With other financers,
that can make use of the building at the same time (like the public
facilities), more cashfIow can be generated, to ensure a possible renovation.