Facades on the Grand Place get freshened up

The Grand Place needs no more introduction, known for her striking architecture and historic reference as the birthplace of Brussels… Years of rain, snow, and withstanding the city air, the building facades have become discolored and accumulated impurities. The first UNESCO World Heritage site in Brussels must not reside in this state!  

The city in collaboration with architecture experts have put all possible measures into place to ensure that this temporary construction site will be as easy on the eye as possible.

Revival of the facades

The restoration of numbers 1 to 7 on the square focuses on enhancements and cleaning.

The project follows a specific plan. The first step is in respect of the businesses who give special life to the Grand Place: setting up a decorative screen in front of the construction site. This screen will give an identical photographic image of the buildings that are under construction, as well as featuring the names of the businesses that are located on the ground floor. Historical information and construction details will also be provided on the panels. So while the construction materials will be covered from view, all the businesses remain pertinent and open to the public.

Next there will be meticulous cleaning, repairing parts of the sculptures, replacing some of the scaffolding and original woodwork, and restoring and repainting the gold work.

In 2015, expect new lighting to be installed, the finishing touch on these facades.