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size keep monotony at bay. Urban mastery of the condi-
tions of architecture can also be seen in the architect’s
projects designed as multiple ensembles, such as the
project for the Siemens headquarters in Schaerbeek
(01-267)
. Equally, it can be seen in recent projects like
the Tour Signal at La Défense in Paris
(01-533)
, the
law courts in Namur
(01-511)
and Dinant
(01-520)
, and
especially the project for the Campidoglio Due city hall
offices in Rome
(01-526)
, a project whose lively charac-
ter and architectural detail overlay a strict urban order,
clearly inspired by the genius loci.
Reconstituting or repairing the urban fabric is a particu-
larly thorny problem in ancient cities that have been
partially dismantled due to industry or shifting economic
activities. The often tragic consequences of this can
be seen in the wastelands and sometimes vast empty
spaces that extend into the city centres. A number of
Philippe Samyn’s projects, sometimes modest in their
expression, address this problem. The re-development
of the Euroshopping site in Mechelen
(01-500)
, the auc-
tion site in Leuven
(01-504
; not included in the antholo-
gy
)
, the library in Waregem
(01-508
; not included in the
anthology
)
and the city hall in Menin
(01-428)
shared
the aim of restoring a lost coherence, of showing that
what seemed to be an irreparable disaster could be
repaired. For the De Meerse complex in Hoofddorp, the
Netherlands
(01-492)
, Philippe Samyn’s project consist-
ed of creating, in the midst of a disparate ensemble, a
controlled diversity and possibilities for change without
jeopardising architectural coherence. Nevertheless, the
author of the project took something of a background
role in the face of a community whose needs were con-
stantly changing. The link between scattered elements
can also be seen in the bridges and walkways that will
be discussed in Chapter 7, as well as in the covering
of spaces and volumes that are organically or function-
ally connected, but which work together in a complex
fashion. This is the case with the Princess Astrid Hall in
Heysel
(01-330)
and with several service stations.
1
Marc Dubois, Belgio. Architettura, gli ultimi vent’anni, Milan,
Electa, 1993.
2
The North district – considered to be a symbol of ‘Brusselisation’,
and designed from the 1970s onwards on land straddling the communities
of Brussels, Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode – set out as a version
of London’s City or New York’s Financial District. At the time of writing,
this goal has not yet been entirely achieved. As at La Défense in Paris,
the architecture of the office towers and apartment buildings has reflected
changes in styles and techniques, without any serious attempt to harmo-
nise the structures as a group. The Tour Rogier was designed first,
and has no relationship with the buildings that followed. See Jacques Aron,
Le tournant de l’urbanisme bruxellois 1958–1978, Brussels, Fondation
Joseph Jacquemotte, 1978.
3
Eric Höweler, Gratte-ciel contemporains, Paris, Flammarion, 2003.
4
Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter, Collage City, Cambridge,
ma
, The
mit
Press, 1978.
01-389
Roofs for the platforms
at Leuven railway station,
1999–2001
01-330
Princess Astrid Hall,
Brussels, 1995–1997