COBE and BRUT, together with ARA, UTIL and Buro MOVE, reveal the winning design for Place Schuman in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the middle of the European Quarter and facing the main institutions of the European Union, including the European Council and the European Commission, Place Schuman constitutes the entrance to the EU.
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Today, Place Schuman is a heavily trafficated roundabout with little space left for pedestrian life. Surrounded by the main institutions of the European Union, including the European Council and the European Commission, Place Schuman constitutes the entrance to the EU and a highly symbolic location in the heart of Europe. In the future, it will be transformed into a pedestrianized urban space and meeting point for the entire EU. The project consists of an agora covered with an iconic metallic roof structure reflecting the square and the people below. A funneled opening in the roof frames the surrounding institutions of the European Union on the square. Surrounding the agora, a large pedestrian area with a continuous pavement will connect Place Schuman to the neigbouring Cinquantenaire Park on one side and the bridge of Rue de la Loi over Chaussée d’Etterbeek on the other. Within this vast area, different realms are created and a multitude of activities can be accommodated. The agora is made up of concentric stairs and this pattern of concentric lines is continued in the rest of the surrounding public space, further underlining the idea of Place Schuman as the center of European democracy and creating coherence.
