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Fifty years of office building production in Brussels
A geographical analysis

Notes de la rédaction

This is the press release related to the article from Christian Dessouroux, published on February 22, 2010. Read the article.

With 12.5 million m2 of office space, Brussels is a city with a highly developed service sector. An average of 3 billion euros per year is invested in the construction of offices. 

This sector was, however, extremely marginal only fifty years ago, and its development marks a major urban evolution. But what shape has it taken? This is the question which Christian Dessouroux – who holds a doctorate in geography from ULB (IGEAT) – attempts to answer in the 35th issue of Brussels Studies.

In the beginning, Brussels was the capital of a young Belgian state which experienced an influx of administrations and companies. The latter, as owners of their offices, were located within a limited area and built high-quality buildings as a reflection of their brand image.

In the 1960s, prosperity and internationalisation led to the emergence of an office market in Brussels. Buildings were thus constructed in view of being sold, without any prior knowledge of the end user. The requirements for profitability and functionality were not conducive to quality in terms of construction. Due to the fact that a regulatory framework did not exist (see issue nr. 36, published on 1 March), offices – which had become real estate assets – were set up not only in the traditional central areas, but also in less expensive areas further from the centre. This evolution had a considerable negative impact on the urban fabric, and was accompanied by an urban exodus and the exponential increase in the use of the car. The North-South junction, the transformation of Avenue Louise and the destruction of the North Quarter (Issue 29) were some of the building sites which marked the city.

At the end of the 1970s, there was an overproduction crisis which affected mostly the central neighbourhoods to the benefit of areas further from the centre. Office locations became more and more polycentric. Office complexes were set up beyond the ring road as a complement to central locations, and were better adapted to requirements at the time.

Since 1990, there has been both a considerable increase in office construction and renovation activity once again, as well as a return to more central locations. Emblematic office towers will thus be replaced (Martini Tower) or thoroughly renovated (Finance Tower). The development of hubs located further from the centre has continued, but they remain functionally incomplete and are becoming more specialised (high technology, storage, industrial activities, etc.).

The history of offices in Brussels is therefore about constant expansion and gradual ‘polycentrism’. But what does the future hold? The increase in road traffic, the development of new railway connections (such as Schuman-Josaphat and the RER), the planned development of the ring road and the length of the current economic crisis will be some of the determining factors. Reorientation, densification, polycentrism, reconversion and renovation will set the pace for the evolution of the building stock in the years to come. If the service sector maintains its relevance for and within the city, for the time being it is difficult to assess the scope of future changes.

Monday 1 March, « Offices and planning in Brussels, a half century of missed opportunities? »

References
Dessouroux, Christian, “Fifty years of office building production in Brussels
A geographical analysis”, Brussels Studies [Online], General collection, No 34, 22 February 2010. URL: https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/749
Contact
Benjamin Wayens, Senior Editor: bwayens[at]brusselsstudies.be

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