It is one of the most emblematic scars of Brussels’ urbanisation: Parking 58, a dull, monolithic nine-storey block, which is being replaced by the Brucity building. This will enable the transformation of another equally emblematic building, the famous, sombre tower of the ‘Centre Monnaie’, which until now housed the municipal administration. And yet, the construction of Brucity leaves a terrible impression of history repeating itself.

Not quite, in reality. The Centre Monnaie had the elegance to perch the City’s offices above a commercial base, whose perimeter of shop windows still enlivens commercial life around Place De Brouckère. None of this is true of Brucity, whose facade, glazed to the point of absurdity, only overlooks counter areas with limited opening hours, technical rooms, corridors leading to toilets, car park ramps and the security room. As for bringing life to the urban space, we’ll have to wait and see. But transparency is the slogan here: “a glass building for a transparent and modern administration”, words identical to those used to justify the curtain wall of the Centre Monnaie, used with the same ingenuity almost fifty years later. One hundred and sixty metres of glazing that also privatises the former passageway, which was certainly dingy but public, which crossed Car Park 58 to ensure the urban continuity of Rue Grétry, between the popular Sainte-Catherine district and the touristy Rue des Bouchers and Galerie de la Reine. Admittedly, the city guarantees access during the day, but it is still necessary to cross the building, which is difficult for cyclists, scooters, large groups or people in a hurry.