This Unusual New EU Building Has A Beacon Of Light At Its Heart

The European Union is moving into a brand-new eco-friendly headquarters in Brussels, featuring a huge, glowing ‘lantern’ at its centre. It’s been dubbed the ‘Space Egg’ due to its unusual appearance. Take a look around this striking building.

Belgian architecture studio Samyn and Partners worked in collaboration with Italian firm Studio Valle and British engineers Buro Happold to create the £300m headquarters, which were designed to be an optimistic and eco-conscious landmark in a time of political instability.

Its exterior is constructed from an incredible 3,750 recycled wooden window frames, which were sourced from all over Europe. As such, the facade was created to represent the EU’s diversity and to symbolise transparency within the union.

Inside the 11-storey atrium sits the giant lantern-like structure, which in turn “houses the heart of Europe”, according to architect Philippe Samyn, in the form of various-sized circular spaces. At dawn and dusk it emits a low-energy LED glow, acting as a beacon of light.

© Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS architects & engineers, lead design and partner

Summit meetings will be held in a huge room that has bold rainbow-coloured carpets and ceiling tiles, which Samyn says represent joy, as he wanted to create a friendly and inclusive circular summit space.

The new headquarters were born out of a desperate need for more room following the introduction of new member states in 2004. The Belgian state gave the EU a block of the former Residence Palace as a replacement for the concrete Justus Lipsius building, which was never designed to cater for such a large number of members.

The European Council is due to hold its first full meeting in the new building in January, and its first leaders’ summit there in March.

About the author

Charlotte Luxford

Architecture & Design Editor

As Culture Trip's architecture and design expert, Charlotte has more than 12 years' industry experience, working for an array of national publications. Prior to joining Culture Trip, Charlotte was the editor of Grand Designs Magazine, steering the magazine in a new direction and overseeing a new look for the title. She has also worked for mass media organisation TI Media, providing content for Livingetc, Ideal Home, Country Homes & Interiors and Homes & Gardens. Charlotte has always had a passion for design and is also a qualified interior designer, having completed a diploma in her spare time. At Culture Trip, Charlotte has worked closely with institutions including the Design Museum and London Design Festival, as well as interviewing design heroes such as Thomas Heatherwick and Sir Terence Conran.