Six architects to compete for Bourse conversion into Beer Temple

Six architects from a field of 35 applicants have been selected for the next round of a competition to design the new Belgian Beer Temple. The museum dedicated to local beer is to be installed in the Bourse building (pictured) in downtown Brussels.

The six were selected on the basis of their experience with listed buildings and their overall vision, as well as their proposed plans for the Beer Temple. Stéphane Beel, based in Ghent, is best known for M Museum in Leuven; Polo Architects from Antwerp worked on the Belgian pavilion in Shanghai; Arter from Brussels worked on the city’s Grand Casino.

Kempe Thill, based in Rotterdam, was responsible for the Maritime Academy in Antwerp; Imagination, with offices in London and Cologne, specialises in restaurant and hotels; while Ghent’s Robbrecht en Daem is known for its numerous high-profile projects, including the Concertgebouw in Bruges and the renovation of Antwerp Zoo.

The final six will now go into more detail on their proposals, and a winner will be chosen in June by the two contractors for the project: the city of Brussels and the Belgian Brewers federation.

photo courtesy Ben2/Wikimedia