Europa (building)
| Europa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Alternative names | Seat of the European Council |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco, Postmodern |
| Location | Brussels, Belgium |
| Address | Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155 |
| Coordinates | 50°50′33″N 4°22′51″E / 50.84250°N 4.38083°E |
| Current tenants | Hotel, press centre, offices, swimming pool, theatre |
| Construction started | 1922 |
| Completed | 1927 |
| Cost | est. €240 million (refurbushment) |
| Owner | Belgian government, privately held |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 45.000 m² superstructure (office and conference rooms) 15.000 m² infrastructure |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Michel Polak Philippe Samyn and Partners (architects & engineers, Lead and Design Partner) Studio Valle Buro Happold |
Europa, also known as the Residence Palace, is a complex of three buildings between the Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat and the Chaussée d'Etterbeek / Etterbeeksesteenweg in the European Quarter of Brussels, the capital city of Belgium.
It consists of: a press center (Bloc B); a newly rebuilt edifice called the "Space Egg" or "Lantern" (Bloc A); and the Lex (Bloc C). The "Space Egg" is for use by the European Council mainly, and as a Council of the European Union summit building.
To the east lies the main Council building, Justus Lipsius. To the north, across the Rue de la Loi, lie the Berlaymont and Charlemagne buildings of the European Commission.
Walloon businessman Lucien Kaisin planned the building following the end of the First World War. It was to be a luxurious apartment block for the bourgeoisie and of Brussels following a housing shortage caused by the war. It was also intended to address the shortage of domestic workers at the time by having them available to all residents. Kaisin described the building as "a small town within a city".
The building was designed by a Swiss architect, Michel Polak. The foundation stone of the Art Deco building was laid on 30 May 1923 with the first residents moving in in 1927. Associated facilities included a theatre hall, a swimming pool and other commercial services such as a restaurant. It was a prestigious housing collective for the most privileged layers of society. The building has partly been listed as a historic monument.
The building only had a short commercial success. In 1940 tenants were forced to leave, as the building was requisitioned as the headquarters of the occupying German army during the Nazi occupation of Belgium during the Second World War. In September 1944, after the liberation of Brussels, the building was taken over as headquarters for SHAEF and RAF Second Tactical Air Force.
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