13
EUROPA
competition triggered a huge controversy after modern projects were ignored,
among which that by Le Corbusier. Due to a surprising twist of fate, a building
in Art Deco style today forms a symbiotic relationship with contemporary
architecture thanks to the deliberate bias on the part of the jury. Europe reaches
a new level of political organisation and expresses it by means of an innovative
and progressive architectural ambition. The art of the architect and engineer
is combined for a common cause, which will serve as a support for urban
reorganisation.
By following the saga of a difficult construction site, the CIVA in partnership with
Lannoo lends credibility to the little-known aspects of a process that, most often
gives rise to research work that rarely gets published. It has appeared critical to
reverse the critical stance and to illustrate, explain and analyse during construction
the project for a building where no detail is trivial. The patient preliminary
structural study, the fine-tuning of monumental elements only represented the
tip of this technological iceberg that is
Europa
. Indeed. the devil (or God) is in the
details. Respect for political and operational requirements must be guaranteed by
systems that, whilst remaining discreet, must not fail.
Combining architectural quality, urban and even patrimonial integration and
completion of the political objective, so many impossible tasks added to the
essential concern for the planet’s resources. Philippe Samyn, winner of the
Global Award for Sustainable Architecture could only be sensitive to it. This work
that endeavours to illustrate the implementation of an architectural project also
aims to overcome the too frequent biases vis-à-vis that which is commonly and
incorrectly called “sustainable architecture”. A romantic vision would exclude
the technological dimension for some. In this case, the countercheck is sizeable
and with its clever and efficient approach broadens the understanding of an
environment in full transition.
The power of iconography joins the study delivered by Jean Attali. This book is
a huge puzzle of images and texts that strengthen each other mutually and that
readers can gather as they please to create their own image of the European
ambition in the Brussels capital.
Christophe Pourtois,
Director of the International Centre for City, Architecture and Landscape
