In the heart of the Brussels' European Quarter, a green neighbourhood with shops, offices and different types of housing will be created in an area that currently holds 300,000 m² of office space.
A new design team, Plusoffice Architects, has been appointed to redevelop 21 buildings around Rue de la Loi that were formerly used by the European Commission. Belgium has made a €1 billion offer to buy this real estate from the EU and prevent bigger office buildings from taking over the area.
The redesign would free up more space for housing units and green space in the office-dominated area, as well as improve mobility. Currently, some 1,000 people live in the area.
Several years ago, the European Commission already announced that it would leave half of its Brussels offices by 2030, due to high rates of remote work among staff and the need to make its offices greener.
"We are delighted to enter a new phase of what will become a pioneering project transforming the European district in Brussels into a sustainable, future-proof, and vibrant neighbourhood," said Frédéric Van der Planken, the CEO of Whitewood, the managing company of the Cityforward property fund.
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