45
EUROPA
NOTES
1. The
Residence Palace
complex was built between
1924 and 1927 on the initiative of the financier Lucien
Kaisin, based on blueprints by architect Michel Polak
and represented high-end housing with hotel services
at the time.
2. Block A of the
Résidence Palace
is the section of
the complex located on
Rue de la Loi
. Block C is
currently made available to the International Press
Centre and Block E was converted into housing.
Blocks B and D of the
Résidence Palace
were torn
down in 1987 to make room for the construction
of the
Justus Lipsius
building. When reference is
made to the
Résidence Palace
in this book, in fact
Block A of the
Résidence Palace
is referenced, unless
otherwise specified.
3. Unit within the Council that launches all tenders
and that provides follow-up until the designation of
the contracting party.
4. In fact, the building must meet the needs of the
European Council and of the Council of the European
Union. Both these institutions, however, use the same
infrastructures and share a secretariat-general. It is
for the sake of clarity that in this text we will refer
to the Council, when in reality both institutions are
referenced.
5. When the competition was launched, the
Lex
building was still under construction (occupation in
2007).
6. PPAS no. 60-13 adopted by the City of Brussels on
24 June 1993.
7. Decree of 22 April 2004 of the Government of the
Brussels-Capital Region.
8. The Etterbeek-Josaphat railway line, planned as
part of the creation of a metro (Regional Express
Network) in Brussels and more particularly for
the new link between the European Quarter and
Zaventem International Airport. This project is jointly
managed by the Federal Mobility and Transport
Department (Beliris) and Infrabel.
9. At the time (2004) when this schedule of needs
was drawn up, there was no permanent president of
the European Council. It is only by the end of 2009,
following the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon,
that the first permanent president was appointed, i.e.,
Herman Van Rompuy. However, in 2004, discussions
among the Council’s authorities had already been in
favour of a permanent president for the European
Council.
10. Consists of 36 suites of approx. 150 m² each.
11. This new function was created by the Treaty of
Lisbon, which came into force in 2009; this high-
representative is also vice president of the European
Commission.
12. This tank also collects rainwater from part of the
roofs of the
Justus Lipsius
building. The rainwater
thus collected is used in the sanitary facilities in the
Résidence Palace
building.
13. It has to be specified that these dispensations are
not aimed at lowering the level of security for the
building and its occupants, but taking into account
the highly specific shape of the building (location
above a railway station; large atrium; metallic
structures), the Royal Decree’s traditional provisions
could not be applied and had to be replaced by
technical solutions that could at least guarantee an
equivalent level of fire protection.
14. Detailed plans drawn up and communicated
during the execution of the works, imposing heavier
charges than expected on the contractor in light
of the instructions and contractual adjudication
documents, are likely to be considered as additional
orders, which the contactor may use to secure
further detailed accounts. It is therefore necessary
to draw up a highly detailed report with complete
plans during the project stage. In this context, the
Régie des Bâtiments
will consider as unsatisfactory
and not likely to be approved any instructions by the
study team according to which the full study of one
or more works would be borne by the contractor.
Such a transfer to the contractor of obligations
typically incumbent upon the study team would be
unacceptable to the
Régie
. On this subject, only the
means or execution process, as part of the granting
of a works contract, could be left to the Contractor’s
assessment.
15. The special terms of reference include an
“administrative” section and a “technical” section. The
administrative section will be prepared by the
Régie
des Bâtiments
and its contents will be incorporated
into the overall document, after examination and
comments on the part of the study team.
16. These three bills of quantities must feature the
same item numbering which is also used in the
description of works.
17. This provision only involves facilities for which,
due to their specificity, maintenance can only be
entrusted to the initial installers.
Born in the Netherlands in 1943, Johan Burgers
completed civil engineering studies at the Technical
University of Delft. In 1969, he settled in Belgium
where he initially practised his profession of engineer
with several consultancies before being hired
by the Council of the European Union in 1975 to
handle the Institution’s real estate matters. During
his entire career with the Council, he was in charge
of drawing up real estate policy proposals, as well
as implementations. For 35 years, in charge of
the Council’s Building Unit, he was involved in all
construction, acquisition, rental, conversion projects
as well as the operation and maintenance of the
Institution’s buildings.
He retired on 1 January 2010 and today is Honorary
Director of the Council.
Texts involving the history of the housing of the
Council of the European Union, the architecture
competition and the study stages of the
Résidence
Palace
project, are based for the most part on public
documents published by the Institution; or on
documents drawn up by the author of this historic
article, or his collaborators, while he was in charge
of the Council’s Building Unit.
FROM RéSIDENCE PALACE TO EUROPA
