Le Berlay-quoi?

Abstract

Since its creation in the 1950s, one of the European Union’s greatest aspiration has been the search for a common European identity as its slogan “United in diversity” euphemistically conveys. Officially adopted in May 2000, after it had been chosen by a media jury from more than 2000 proposals, the motto is one of many European symbols dedicated to disseminate this unifying message. Architecturally, this pursuit culminated already six decades ago in the de-facto capital of the EU, when in 1959, the Belgium capital, Brussels, not only became the administrative, but also the architectural focal point of Europe. After the completion of the European Economic Community Commission’s building (Berlaymont) in 1968, it developed into the first architectural manifestation of the then still young ECC laying the groundwork for one of the first symbols of the EU’s united diversity. When comparing the different numbers of Google search results on European government buildings, the term Berlaymont in Brussels delivers an approximate of one million results, while other representational buildings like 10 Downing Street in London or the Élysée Palace in Paris return 13 or even 38 million search results. Even the Federal Chancellery of Germany generates more than double the search results of the Berlaymont. Although this statistical footnote is probably not the most reliable instrument for measuring how the EU quarter is publicly perceived, it hints at the missing presence of the building in the conscience of European citizens. With this in mind, one can ask how the architecture of the European institutions in Brussels is actually perceived through the eyes of those who are the actual subject of the European Union’s ambition to unite: Its citizens. How does the architecture of the Berlaymont and the surrounding EU quarter contribute to the emergence of an European identity?