AGORA
"Only an empty room waiting...
And it was in this apparently empty space that everything suddenly seemed possible."
Adolphe Appiah
On a winter Sunday afternoon, I stroll. The shelves are stacked from floor to ceiling with colorful, tempting books. A few ladders allow access to the highest, most mysterious shelves. The smell of wood is complemented by the soft acidity of printing ink. The bookseller enthusiastically discusses a recent publication displayed on the central stand. The book launch will take place this very afternoon, on the footbridge. I gather a few books. The bookseller slips me a tote bag printed with an emblematic design and hurries to open the discussion with the author. I follow in their footsteps.
On the footbridge, it’s cooler. I half-listen to the author’s presentation while wandering among the podiums where architecture students' models are displayed. These podiums form a kind of narthex. The evocation of a transition from the profane of the world? the city? art?to the sacred of books? architecture?does not escape me. At the intersection of the two main footbridges of Kanal, this location is laden with symbolism.
Numerous passersby draw me toward the interior of CIVA. I enter the dimness of a warm, wood-paneled space. An opening beckons me toward a very bright area. The circular space is surrounded by a gallery. A presentation is being prepared: many chairs are set up, facing what seems to be a stage, with a backdrop of a bird’s-eye view of Kanal’s footbridges. I am seized by the desire to experience this space entirely empty and enclosed. I want to feel its acoustics soft and muted. The undulating walls are made of a warm, smooth material that I can’t quite identify.
An exhibition of archival documents takes place behind this thick curtain. I make a full round through the various alcoves and ascend the staircase to the gallery. The wooden structure extends, loaded with books available for browsing. Cozy nooks built into the wooden structure provide spaces to sit, alone or in small groups, to read, work, or exchange ideas. In more intimate corners, these spaces offer views of the outside. They are in high demand. I discover a bird’s-eye view of the circle below. I feel as if I’ve stumbled upon a secret place, but a couple soon joins me, and I give up my spot to them.
I descend and head toward the rear exit, where I discover a magnificent indoor public garden. What strikes me first in this space is the quality of the air. The light is brighter here, and the air is filled with the humid scent of thick vegetation. Fine particles float in the sunbeams. Small groups of teenagers have found refuge here from the frozen parks in their neighborhoods, while young parents stroll with their toddlers."
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Date: 2023
Programme: Bookshop and Community Space
Client: KANAL-CIVA
Status: Competition
Area: 1000m²
Team: Traumnovelle (architects),
Collectif Gru (architects),
Aboutt (architects).
Date: 2023
Programme: Bookshop and Community Space
Client: KANAL-CIVA
Status: Competition
Area: 1000m²
Team: Traumnovelle (architects),
Collectif Gru (architects),
Aboutt (architects).