House of European History in Brussels. ©Christian Fabris
House of European History – Brussels, Belgium

Impressive Façade: Functional Glass for Creative Minds

 

In Leopold Park, the heart of European Quarter in Brussels, is the George Eastman House named after the American philanthropist and inventor of the Kodak camera. At the initiative of the European Parliament, the former dental clinic became the "House of European History of the 20th century" in 2016. The building was renovated and extended according to the plans of the architects of Chaix & Morel et associés, France, and JSWD Architekten, Germany, in cooperation with TPF Engineering, Brussels.

The building was originally constructed in the 1930s. In 2011, it was supposed to be extended with a "glass implant". A total of 53 laminates and 168 glass fins form the main part of the building's glass envelope.

The architect's design demanded an individual print of white lines that filter the view and frame the interior activities during the day. Thanks to the ceramic-ink digital printing, the lines could be applied to the 53 double laminates with an exceptionally high precision. After the tempering process, the colors were permanently bonded to the surface of the glass and thus resistant to UV radiation.

For a design as transparent as possible, also the supporting construction is out of glass. Therefore, the up to 13.8m long glass fins were installed both vertically and horizontally. The connection between the glass units of the façade and the roof or the freely arranged exhibition boxes is an approximately 90-degree construction. To realize it, sedak fabricated individual 4-layer and 6-layer laminates. The layers of each laminate were shifted so that a 4-layer and a 6-layer laminate could interlock.

Owner

CFE Brabant

Architect

Chaix & Morel et Associés 
JSWD Architekten 

Scope

– 168 individual glass fins | up to 13.8m
– 53 facade units | up to 7.8m | individual ceramic-ink digital print

Photo credit

 

Photo credit: Christian Fabris