Unsung Heroes

In 1998, the Brussels Municipality of Schaerbeek organised an architecture competition for a House of the Citizens (Maison des Citoyens). Dedicating a new building to citizens sent an important message that the Schaerbeek authorities took the dialogue with their citizens seriously. 1 In architectural culture, the competition's encouragement of contemporary design was valuable because it challenged the common perception of Brussels 'decorative shallowness'. 2 The winning entry by atelier d'architecture Pierre hebbelinck, realised in 2004, combined a participatory symbolism - the building as a large table around which citizens can gather - with contemporary design features - clean-cut geometry, exposed concrete and transparency. A u-shaped concrete slab symbolising a table is the backbone for the different programmes and activities that gather around it. A video-documentary shows the architect sketching, on beermats, how the building aims to evoke a 'local atmosphere' (Figure 6.1; and Figure 6.2, see Plate 15). 3