When you step off the Brussels metro at Alma station, you are plunged into a strange architectural environment.
The station was designed in 1982 by the radical architect Lucien Kroll, who developed his ideas following the student revolts of May 1960.
Inspired by the architecture of Gaudi, Kroll and his wife Simone created a mysterious building with concrete columns that resemble a forest lit by a golden autumnal light.
The metro stop gets you to the university campus La Mémé (La Maison Medicale) built by Kroll in the 1970s. Working alongside the students, he created a series of ecological, quirky buildings linked by meandering paths and small squares. It was meant to resemble a village in the Italian mountains. And maybe it does, a bit.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
