International Architecture Competition: European Parliament Building in Brussels

The European Parliament has initiated an international design competition for the renewal of its plenary building (SPAAK), located in a complex in the centre of Brussels. The open pre-qualification procedure for the selection of competitors among candidates was launched on 26 May 2020. Architects interested in participating in the renewal of the SPAAK building are invited to apply.

Organised by the European Parliament, the restricted international single stage design competition will be conducted according to the UNESCO Standard Regulations for International Competitions in Architecture and Town Planning and the UIA best practice recommendations. Competition organizers are looking for a sustainable approach with a strong emphasis on "operability, maintainability, flexibility and adaptability”. The new European Parliament should “incorporate best durability and sustainability practices with a considered balance between simplicity and thoughtful technology.”

PROCEDURE

The European Parliament will shortlist candidates (groups of architects, as lead members, together with structural engineers and environmental experts).

At the end of the pre-qualification procedure, the shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit their design proposals, which will then be evaluated by the jury. The jury will submit the list of winners to the European Parliament, along with its report for commissioning and recommendations for development following the competition.

JURY

The jury will comprise 11 jurors with vote:

General jurors:
• Rainer Wieland, Vice-President of the European Parliament
• Pedro Silva Pereira, Vice-President of the European Parliament
• Rudy Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region
• Bety Waknine, Head of the Brussels Planning and Heritage Regional Public Service

Architectural jurors:
• Prof. Marilyne Andersen, Physicist and Environmental specialist, Lausanne, Switzerland
• Kristiaan Borret, Urban Planner, BouwMeester Architect of the Brussels-Capital Region
• Manuelle Gautrand, Architect, Paris, France
• Dorte Mandrup, Architect, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Carme Pigem, Architect, Olot, Spain
• Kazuyo Sejima, Architect, Tokyo, Japan
• Dimitri Tenezakis, Architect, Head of Luxembourg and Strasbourg Major Construction Projects Unit – DG INLO – European Parliament

Alternate general jurors:
• Dita Charanzová, Vice-President of the European Parliament
• Heidi Hautala, Vice-President of the European Parliament
• Alain Hutchinson, Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations
• Thibaut Jossart, Director at the Brussels Planning and Heritage Regional Public Service

Alternate architectural jurors:
• Romain Poulles, Engineer, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
• Anna Przybyl, Architect, Head of the Building projects Unit in Strasbourg, – DG INLO – European Parliament
• Prof. Volker Staab, Architect, Berlin, Germany
• Lisa de Visscher, Architect, Editor in chief of A+ magazine, Brussels, Belgium

For more information, please visit the European Parliament Design competition site.