Générale invited us to three of its current projects in Brussels (Brasserie de la Senne, Picard46 and Jonction Urban Park) to discuss its architectural practice. These three projects, initially conceived by Générale’s founding members whilst they were still partners at Escaut architectures, are representative of their way of working. Michaël Bianchi, David Crambert, Catherine Dohmen, Annachiara Eliseo, Grégoire Fettweis, Florence Hoffmann, François Lichtlé and Nele Stragier approach each of their projects collectively, drawing on diverse fields of expertise. They always bring together two or three collaborators per project to enrich the dialogue and thus develop a distinct identity for each one, both in terms of design and graphic representation.

Générale advocates architecture that serves the community, whether in the public sector (Jonction Urban Park) or the private sector (Picard 46). This collaborative platform fosters a user-centred approach and addresses the specific challenges of each programme undertaken. Générale demonstrates that architecture can inform a function and vice versa. This is achieved, for example, by designing a school project based on a specific educational approach (Schools 7/8 in Ixelles), or by adapting a brasserie to the client’s needs to create a flexible project (Brasserie de la Senne).