Canal

Located on the banks of the canal, near Place Sainctelette, the Citroën-Yser garage was built in 1933 on the basis of plans drawn up by André Citroën himself, who wanted to make it the largest garage in Europe.

It is built on a plot of nearly 2 hectares, located between the Quai des Péniches and the former Brussels heliport. Its total built area is around 48,000 m². It includes the showroom, workshops and offices.

Given its location and its emblematic character, it is a strategic site in the context of the implementation of the Canal Plan.

The Brussels-Capital Region has decided to develop a museum of modern and contemporary art of international scope: Kanal-Centre Pompidou.

The role of the Urban Development Corporation (SAU-MSI.brussels):

• The SAU-MSI acquired the Citroën-Yser garage in October 2015.
• In June 2015, the SAU-MSI launched an international call for tenders for a mission to analyse the site's programmatic potential. The winning team, selected from 17 candidates, included the Dutch architect Wessel de Jonge and two Belgian consulting firms. It delivered its conclusions in the summer of 2016.
• On 29 September 2016, the Minister-President of the Brussels Region, Rudi Vervoort, and the President of the Centre Georges-Pompidou (Paris), Serge Lasvignes, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to collaborate and transform the former garage into a world-class cultural centre.
• On 28 April 2017, the SAU launched a call for project designers for the conversion of the site in order to accommodate, on the one hand, a museum of modern and contemporary art and, on the other hand, the International Centre for the City, Architecture and the Landscape (CIVA). This international architectural competition is one of the most important ever organised in Brussels.
• In July 2017, the SAU selected a shortlist of 7 finalist teams from the 92 high-level applications received following the call for project developers.
• The realization of the project was then taken over by the KANAL Foundation, which announced the winner on March 22, 2018: noA, EM2N and Sergison Bates Architects.
• At the end of 2020, urban.brussels issued the planning permit to the KANAL Foundation.
• On 5 May 2018, the Kanal Foundation opened its prefigurative year – Kanal Brut – which ran until June 2019.
• The work will begin in 2021 and will be phased in successive stages over several years until the official opening of the site.
• The museum is scheduled to open at the end of 2025.