Those entering the premises of the Brussels Parliament by way of the rue du Lombard find themselves in a neoclassical building dating from the beginning of the 20th century, the different storeys of which have been converted into committee rooms, and on its roof a new hemicycle has been constructed.

At the rear, however, there are still several wings the origins of which go back to the end of the 17th century - a rarity in the Brussels of to-day. Until then, in fact, a vast mansion belonging to members of the Maes family stood on the rue du Chêne.

The Limminghe mansion

In 1695, the centre of the city was destroyed as a result of bombardment by the French troops of Louis XIV. The land and ruins of the Maes mansion were purchased immediately after by Charles Vanden Berghe, Count of Limminghe, who occupied various administrative positions in the city and was notably twice burgomaster of Brussels. In 1696 he erected a vast, prestigious mansion on two floors, at the end of an entirely enclosed courtyard with a large garden at the rear which could be entered from place Saint-Jean. The mansion was subsequently bought and sold on various occasions and served as a residence for the Apostolic Nuncio and the English ambassador.

Offices of provincial institutions

Brabant Province and the Dutch State acquired the mansion in 1823 and converted the buildings to house the Brabant provincial government and form the governor's residence. After independence, the situation remained unchanged, but as the provincial institution developed, so the premises became too cramped and dilapidated and at the end of the 1860s various remedial proposals were made.

First, some very small-scale transformations were effected. However, conversion works on a much larger scale were required to adapt the buildings to the needs of the provincial government. These reconstruction works fundamentally restyled the overall aspect.

They explain its present state, in which the varying styles from one building to another mark the successive periods of construction work, even though an obvious concern for overall harmony is discernible.

Some of the rooms in the governor's residence were modified around 1885, as can be seen from the door lintels which are decorated with the Leopold II cipher. In 1907 came the turn of the office wing. The architect of the Ministry for Public Works, Georges Hano, built in its place a wing higher than the original with direct access to the rue du ChÃne for employees of the administration. The architect interlinked the different buildings and unified all the façades overlooking the State courtyard. He added a storey on to the governor's residence, on the courtyard side, and increased the height of the building surmounting the porch reconstructed by Hansotte.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the city completed the project to open up the rue du Lombard which had first been envisaged around 1840. A part of the garden of the governor's residence lay in its route and was incorporated. To mark the presence of the province in this new, wide and very busy arterial road, in 1908 Georges Hano planned the construction of a new building on the rue du Lombard side. Works began in 1913 but were only finally completed in 1930. This neo-Louis-XVI-style building opens on to rue du Lombard through a majestic portal. From the ceremonial entrance hall, the steps of a double stairway lead up to a sumptuous ceremonial room. This room, decorated with mirrors, has windows overlooking the garden and gives access to the rooms of the old mansion. The other floors of the building house vast meeting rooms and offices.

The Brussels Parliament building

When the scission of Brabant Province was ratified in January 1995, the "Provincial Palace" was transferred from the Federal State to the Region of Brussels-Capital, which in turn assigned it to the Brussels Regional Parliament, itself being in search of permanent premises.

It very rapidly became apparent that these premises were unsuitable for their new role. So also in 1995, the Office of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region contacted 25 architectural offices and 18 project management offices with the aim of soliciting candidatures.

As a result of the selection process, the architectural office A2RC and the Berenschot-Osborne project management office came first in their respective categories.

Two major modifications were required: rationalisation of circulation areas and enlargement of the hemicycle.

The A2RC office project contained a proposal to increase the height of the building wing overlooking the rue du Lombard in order to erect the new hemicycle there and this proposal was finally accepted by the Parliament Office after consultation with experts from the Royal Commission for monuments and sites.

The 20th century contribution to this building which has covered three centuries of history is a success. As the new construction is slightly set back from the street front the old parts of the building can still be clearly distinguished but a better view of the contemporary architecture is also offered. A large zinc roof crowns the plenary session chamber, the presence of which is further emphasized by the great curved wall in wood which encircles it. In the hemicycle there is an overhanging mezzanine floor from which the press, political groups and the general public can follow the debates under ideal conditions.

In this same neoclassical wing three large committee rooms plus two smaller rooms in the adjacent wing have been renovated and provided with the latest technical equipment. In each room there is an area reserved for the public and the press, as and when this is considered necessary.

All the elements of this new infrastructure are used for all parliamentary meetings of the Brussels institutions, including meetings of Commission Assemblies of both the Flemish and the French-speaking Communities.

The dimensions of the old provincial council chamber have been retained; on two different levels the chamber now houses a cafeteria and a reading room for the members of parliament.

The four wings at the rear will retain their administrative function. It is here that the President's and the first Vice-president's offices will be located together with Parliament departments: the offices and secretarial services of the registrar and the assistant registrar, general secretarial services, legal departments, general departments, and reporting.

At garden and courtyard level, the mirror room, the state room, the dining room and other rooms dating back to the old 18th century Limminghe mansion which were refurbished in the
19th and 20th centuries, have been either renovated or restored depending on their state of repair.

Finally, several important areas of the building have been embellished with contemporary works of art. A commission for the purchase of works of art, consisting of members of the Parliament Office together with eight external observers from the art world (large museums and education establishments) was set up for this purpose. At the end of 1998, 11 artists were entrusted with the task of creating works for specific areas of the Parliament building. They were Joseph Kosuth for the illuminated frieze, Julien Willem for the Brussels portrait gallery, Michel Mouffe for a set of mirrors and illuminated blocks, Paul Day for terracotta high-reliefs, Guy Leclercq for the re-mounted canvasses, Richard Venlet for the drawings of the electrical installations, Gilbert Fastenakens for the photos transferred to canvas, Yasmina Assbane for the floral kerchiefs, Rudy Bogaerts for the artistic area dedicated to the memory of famous personalities, Wim Delvoye for the "Love letter from Mohammed to Caroline", Patrick Corillon for the "Three stories of Oskar Serti".

Following its establishment on the site of the former Governor’s Palace, the Brussels Regional Parliament has asked the architectural firm Art & Build to restructure the interior of the block formed by the rue du Chêne and the rue du Lombard.

The architects have suggested a range of installations including a multi-purpose hall and annexes for the use of the inhabitants of Brussels and their elected representatives, located beneath a hanging garden. This new arrangement creates an essential link between the different sections of the Parliament and enables people to move freely between the semi-circular building, the parliamentary offices, the reception halls and the administrative departments.  The area also boasts large atrium windows that provide abundant natural light and extraordinary views of the hanging garden.

The architects have designed this ‘city garden’ to reflect the theme of the central square or ‘agora’ of antiquity. A large wooden platform enables exchanges and meetings to take place, and acts as a natural extension of the reception halls.  The large blank walls are covered with a wide range of plants, creating a real vertical garden.  In fact, thanks to a remarkable technique developed by the French botanist Mr. Patrick Blanc, the Parliament benefits from more than 400m2 of gardens extending to heights of up to 27m.

Along with the semi-circular building, this new complex helps to reinforce the image of the Brussels Regional Parliament as being in harmony with the city around it.