SAU shortlists three architectural teams for reconfiguration of ground floor of BIP on Rue Royale
The Urban Development Corporation (SAU), in consultation with Beliris, has selected three teams from among the 14 entries received in the procurement procedure launched last April with a view to finding a project designer(*) for the reconfiguration of the ground floor of BIP, 2-4 Rue Royale, 1000 Brussels.
The three teams shortlisted by the SAU in the initial selection phase of the procedure, which have now been asked to submit a preliminary draft design, are as follows:
- Atelier Pierre Hebbelinck
- dmvA Architecten
- Ici Architectes + JPHA Architectes
In the second part of the procedure, the award phase, the SAU will – again in consultation with Beliris – pick the candidate on the basis of these preliminary drafts to which the contract will be awarded. Among the selection criteria are the added value that the project will bring to the existing building and the compatibility of the proposed work with the heritage value of the building, which is part of a listed complex.
Three partners, the Brussels Region, the SAU and Beliris, have signed a memorandum of understanding on the renovation of the ground floor of 2-4 Rue Royale, i.e. that building in the complex that is located at the corner of Place Royale and Rue Royale. Beliris, the federal public contracting authority for Brussels, will finance the preliminary design studies and the studies for the planning application.
Located next to the Royal Palace, the complex of Brussels Info Place, or BIP, belongs to the SAU and serves as a showcase for the Brussels-Capital Region. Among other things, it houses the offices of visit.brussels and the permanent exhibition experience.brussels. The SAU will also be constructing a modular building on the site to accommodate ‘LE CHAT cartoon museum’.
In particular, the intention is that the renovation will create a main entrance on Place Royale. The restructuring of the premises will: provide a solution to the lack of visibility from public space of the functions present in the building; improve the building’s general accessibility, especially for those with reduced mobility; and route people’s movements within the building more clearly.
The outline plans include:
- the development of a new entrance;
- the development of a new reception and catering area;
- the development of connections between the different functions occupying the building.
(*) Comprehensive project design contract for a multidisciplinary team (architecture, stability, building services engineering, environmental and sustainability expertise including energy performance coordination, safety and health coordination, acoustics).