The Member States of the European Union have new headquarters in Brussels: Europa

10/12/2016

On 10 December 2016, the elegant brand-new Europa building opened its doors to the public. It is in this building that the European Council and the Council of the EU will now sit. It will welcome multilateral EU summits and ministerial sessions.

The construction of the Europa building was decided by EU leaders in 2004 in order to take account of the enlargement of the EU and be able to host all summits in Brussels. The building currently used (the Justus Lipsius) was built at the end of the 1980s but was not designed to host summits, which, at the time, were held elsewhere in Brussels. Also, in recent years, the number of summits has increased and reached a record number of twelve in 2015.

The Europa building meets the specific needs of the Council of Europe and the European Council by offering the level of security required and respects the concept of sustainable development as much in terms of the materials as the technologies used. Innovative, the new building preserves the old part of the former Résidence Palace. Two new glazed walls transform the building into a cube. Inside this cube, a lantern-shaped space has been created with elliptical floors of variable dimensions. This lantern will mainly be visible from outside when the building is lit up. The floors, ceilings, doors and elevator shaft present works by the Belgian artist Georges Meurant, which take the form of colour square combinations.

The facade is a patchwork of recycled wooden frames recovered from renovation or demolition projects in all EU countries. The project has two aims: to promote sustainable development and recycling, and bear witness to the know-how of the EU and the EU's cultural diversity. Indeed, the facade recalls the EU's motto "Unity in diversity" because all the windows are different but all the frames are in oak or in wood of a similar variety.

The Europa building was designed by the architects Samyn & Partners (Belgium), Studio Valle Progettazioni (Italy) and Buro Happold (United Kingdom). The Belgian authorities, via the intermediary of the Régie des Bâtiments, are the main contractor for the construction works. The Europa building has been built in accordance with the concept of sustainable development. In June 2009, the project received the special Green Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum (Museum of Architecture and Design).