Located on the eastern edge of Brussels, at the crossroads between one of the main freeways leading out of the city and one of the major boulevards, this new addition to the cityscape serves as the spearhead of a larger urban development. The project participates in reconfiguring the existing media district, currently centered around Belgium's national television and radio stations.

Hosting a diverse mix of media-related start-ups and operators — including regional television recording and broadcasting studios, media hubs, and institutions that support and promote filmmaking in Brussels — the design responds to the need for cohabitation among a varied group of partners through spatial adaptability and rational planning. Flexibility was achieved through structural design, distributing activities across open-plan floors that allow for numerous spatial configurations. The peripheral positioning of the structural elements, as well as the vertical distribution of the main services, resulted in totally free floors. Distinct constructive systems, each adaptable to its own lifespan and future requirements, run through the whole. Structure, envelope, and finishing elements function as separate layers, allowing for independent maintenance and evolution over time.

The structural concept adapts to each orientation based on its specific surroundings. The southern façade, designed as an urban screen with solar protection, responds to the larger scale of the neighborhood and surrounding infrastructure. In contrast, the more closed northern façade faces nearby existing buildings. On the east side, the main entrance is positioned to accommodate a shift in urban alignment, creating a broad forecourt that connects it to the boulevard.

Frame, winner of the Brussels Architecture Prize, is also one of the four projects nominated for the Architectuur Prijs Vlaanderen in the werken (works) category. The building is exceptionally open to the public in collaboration with the Flanders Architecture Institute (VAi) as part of the Dag van de Architectuur.

Two options are available: explore the ground floor at your own pace between 10:00 and 17:00 or join a guided tour led by the architecture firm BAUKUNST, authors of the project, for a look behind the scenes — including the upper floor where BX1 has its studios. Guided tours are offered at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 (NL/EN, booking required).

 Architect(s) : BAUKUNST - BRUTHER
Client : SAU-MSI.brussels
Category (Brussels Architecture Prize) : Major intervention (winner)
Text : Fabian De Vriendt