The European Parliament quietly appointed a consortium of architects in January for major upgrade works at the Paul-Henri Spaak building running to 2031 and at a cost of €455 million.
Euractiv’s sister publication De Standaard reports that the agreement plans for an upgrade of the Spaak building, which covers 84,153-square-metres and houses the parliament’s hemicycle for plenary sessions in Brussels along with offices and media facilities.
The European Parliament’s communications team confirmed that the plan is to achieve “a nearly energy-neutral building” through a thorough environmental renovation. Furthermore, the plan is to improve safety and technical facilities with work running from 2024 to 2031.
Although completed only in 1992, the Spaak building no longer meets current energy performance and environmental standards.
“The design contract was signed in January 2025,” the Parliament’s press service said. “The contract was awarded to a newly formed consortium, Klarc, a partnership between Kaan Architects, Low Architects, and Arcadis, which supports the institution’s services.”
Kaan Architects, known for the renovation of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the Aalst library, and also appointed to renovate the National Bank in Brussels, had already said that it was collaborating with the Antwerp firm Low Architects and Arcadis.
Nicknamed the “Caprice des dieux” for its cheese-like dome, the building has been widely deemed outdated by EU officials.
This story has been translated and edited from the original Dutch.
(jp, cs)