AIA Conference in Brussels
As member of AIA Continental Europe Chapter, Sandra and I attended the Fall Conference in Brussels, Belgium. We flew in Brussels few days before the conference’s opening day, because we wanted to have some time for us to walk around, shop and get lost in the old city of Brussels.
On Thursday October 3rd at 3pm, the Conference Registration opened in the lobby of Hotel Metropole, located in the heart of Brussels, Place de Brouckère. Many participants were already there, chatting, waiting for their name tags, and looking for each other. Big smiles and hands shakes were shared among the members and guests. After an educational presentation, a 1-hour guided tour of Brussels historic urban development started.
I was just waiting for this tour, with my camera and a spare battery.
The scope of this lecture/tour was to show how Brussels modifies its historic center into a livable, healthy and affordable environment place. The lecture also focused on describing the urban development and architecture of Brussels’ city center from a medieval settlement in the 10th century in the swamps of the Senne river to the actual eclectic capital of the European Union.
The city originated from three spots around the Senne (a valley and two nearby hills). First mentioned in the 11th century as a river port, the public spaces were developed along means of communication such as the Grand Place which was situated close to the old port and along few important roads. During the walk, an important accent was made on the architecture in different periods in time such as the Town Hallin the 15th century with its flamboyant gothic design and the reconstruction of the city after the bombing by the army of Louis XIV in 1695.
We learned about how the city authorities are implementing
policies to attract habitants to live in the city center, notably by
transforming city streets into agreeable pedestrian and friendly
bicycling areas and creating affordable housing.
