Selected Counterprojects in Brussels

Abstract

This article explores the role of counterprojects as didactic tools for challenging destructive modernist practices and proposing alternative visions rooted in tradition and civic identity. Drawing on the legacy of Léon Krier and Maurice Culot, it criticizes the superficiality of much contemporary “sustainable” architecture and the erosion of the public realm into “anti-space.” It situates the emergence of the growing “Architectural Uprising” within broader cultural, political, and ecological movements, emphasizing grassroots resistance and education for traditional design. Through examples in Brussels such as the Blaton Tower, the Maison du Peuple, and Place de Brouckère, it explores how adaptive reuse, classical language, and urban reconstruction may restore continuity, beauty, and permanence to the Belgian capital’s civic fabric.