Reformation of Social Structure

Abstract

The brief of this year ‘s studio is to address the the transformation of the National Bank of Belgium located in Brussels. However, since its completion, there has been a fundamental shift in the requirements placed upon it. Industrial functions like the printing and storage of currency have been relocatedout of the city, or overseas; finance is becoming increasingly digital; while Belgium’s membership of the EU has led to much of the Bank’s traditional role being subsumed into the European Central Bank (ECB), based in Frankfurt. In response, the National Bank has decided to redefine itself physically.

As an architecture student, I am more prone to understanding the correlation between the social issues happening at the moment and the architecture. Social impacts of the transformation of the bank and its potentials to become a social role in the city are valuable to be explored. Other than that, it is crucial to find out the social relations between the bank and the public, also within the bank, so as to deliver a design proposal that can address the current social issues in the city while the bank itself can benefit from the renovation.

Starting from 1985, the international young immigration has surpassed internal outflow of the city, Brussels and they become the main reason of population growth, causing the rejuvenation of the population at the same time. However, the availability of affordable private housing and social housing is not able to support the growth and it turned out that suburbanization of young generation happened.

Due to the impacts of suburbanization, the socio-economic and cultural geographic patterns have created boundaries between communities living side by side with little interaction, causing intense hierarchy of social structure. This kind of social segregation poses a challenge to the long-term viability of the city.
Meanwhile, the social relations and structure within the bank is another issue to be tackled with. The conventional office design of the bank has caused little communication and interaction between staff, leading the bank itself to become a complete introvert that is unable to engage with the public properly.

Therefore, it is a good opportunity for the National Bank of Belgium, an institution with the image of authority to take up a social role of challenging the current social structure of the city and eliminating the boundaries between communities in a way that the future generation and the bank itself can be benefitted from its renovation.