L’Escaut has been cooperating with the National Theatre since 1990. This collaboration is a source of enthusiasm and reflection around the stakes in the theatrical world and its institution.Between 1999 and 2001 studies were undertaken in order to determine the new implantation of the national theatre which had to leave the Martini tower (today destroyed).Finally, the National Theatre was built in boulevard Jacqmain. The urban context is that of a classical XIXth century avenue: terraced buildings of similar heights into which the building integrates seamlessly. The limited size of the plot and the budget constraints lead to a compact building.The stake of the new home of the National Theatre is to embody the shifting identity of contemporary theatre, with the visibility that the plot in the centre of Brussels provides; and to do so by providing a flexible tool for the artists to work with.