A highlight of contemporary Belgian architecture: Guided Tour in the Dilbeek Fire Station, shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2024

Every two years, the prestigious European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award shines the spotlight on the most outstanding new buildings throughout Europe. Before an overall winner is announced, a shortlist names the most promising candidates. In 2024, this included four projects in Belgium, among them the Dilbeek Fire Station not far from Brussels.
Designed by Sara Noel Costa de Araujo and her Brussels studio SNCDA in collaboration with Bureau Bouwtechniek and the artist Karel Martens as part of the 1% artistic contribution, the building combines a fire station with a multi-purpose hall and three emergency housing units. Completed in 2022, the building’s intention is to serve as an open, flexible and sustainable collective infrastructure: an infrastructure that accommodates different uses on a relatively small plot of land by spatially rethinking the integration of 3 distinct functions with each of their public/private characteristics. Within this concept, the meeting of the masonry blocks and the reinforced concrete clearly shows the convergence of the structural systems and the overall spatial organisation. To enable future re-use, the materials were used in their raw state to create a robust building – becoming a convincing example of contemporary architecture, in a constructive, functional, spatial and social sense.

Guides:  Sara Noel Costa de Araujo (FR, ENG) and Olaf Winkler (NL, in the presence of the architect).

The tour is free but registration is required. Don’t spoil the party! If you can’t come after all, notify us as soon as possible (info@korei.be). That way we give other people a chance to register.

• You can register for the tour in English (3 pm) below.
• Inschrijven voor de rondleiding in het Nederlands (16u30) kan via deze link.
• Vous pouvez vous inscrire à la visite en français (18h00) via ce lien.

Picture : copyright Philippe Braquenier

The tours in the fire station are part of the official events around the shortlisted projects of the EU Mies Award, commissioned by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe Barcelona and the Guiding Architects network, organised by Olaf Winkler in collaboration with Studio SNCDA, Korei Guided Tours vzw, the commune of Dilbeek and Wallonie Bruxelles Architectures.