#EUCO: Heads of government meet in new 'Europa' building

Heads of government will meet in the ‘Europa’ building for the first time at today's European Council summit. The new building is an improvement on the pink-granite edifice, Justice Lipsius, currently standing on one corner of Rond-point Schuman.

The decision to invest in a new building was made in the early 2000s when the European Union was preparing to welcome ten new countries. It is understandable that states that were once part of the former Soviet Union might not want to meet in a building redolent of the Soviet brutalist period.

The architect and engineer Philippe Samyn is the lead and design partner for the building designed by the consortium of Samyn and Partners (Belgium), Studio Valle Progettazioni (Italy) and Buro Happold (United Kingdom).

Samyn said: "The Europa building is a blend of modernity and historic heritage. The need to preserve, restore and integrate part of the Residence Palace was a challenge but also a wonderful opportunity. The history of this building allows us in some measure to step back into the history of Europe."

The façade is made up of old oak window frames reclaimed from demolition sites from all over Europe. These authentic old window frames have been sanded, cleaned, restored, varnished and placed in large stainless steel frames to create this façade. Samyn said: “It is a way of promoting the recycling of materials but also of paying tribute to Europe's artisanship and cultural diversity.”

The architect also discussed the lantern shape: "The lantern shape was necessary for two reasons: firstly, the spaces that were to be located on the various levels had increasing and then decreasing proportions. Secondly, the narrow base of the lantern can also be explained by the fact that it was not possible to install structural support across the whole site because of the nearby Schuman railway tunnel."

Finally, Samyn says that he brought in Georges Meurant to the project “because of his ability to combine squares, rectangles and colours in a unique composition that seeks to create a welcoming and relaxing environment".

It will be interesting to see if this relaxing environment leads to greater solidarity. One of the possible areas of conflict today will be the decision to renew Donald Tusk’s mandate as president of the European Council for the 1 June 2017 to 30 November 2019 period. Let’s hope Prime Minister Beata Szydło is more relaxed about his nomination.

Share this article: