Out of 97 international design teams, seven were selected to develop proposals for the “Culture Pole” program in the iconic Citroën garage in Brussels. Back in the 1930s, André Citroën made a bold statement with this building: his cars were showcased in a theatre of light, air, and spectacle. The Brussels showroom was nothing short of a cathedral—soaring 60 meters high—and Citroën made his vehicles accessible to the public through innovative financing models.

Over time, however, the purity of the original concept was lost. The showroom and garage became cluttered with added structures and disconnected from the urban environment. The design strategy for this new chapter was clear: remove what was unnecessary.

By stripping back the additions, the original vision was reactivated. Synergy was created through the integration of an urban “Brussels Salon” in the former showroom, a public green space with a cultural axis, and a museum delicately woven into the lightweight structure of the garage—with a terrace on the first floor overlooking the city.