Cityforward is a real estate fund managed by Whitewood, undertaking the renovation and transformation of 21 former European Commission office buildings, totalling 300,000 m² in the European Quarter of Brussels. The project sets out an ambitious vision, both in terms of circularity and programmatic diversity, with 30% of the floor area dedicated to housing and amenities. The initiative has the potential to act as a catalyst in transforming the European Quarter, currently dominated by office uses, into a more mixed and vibrant urban district.

As a first step, strategic guidelines for the 21 buildings were established through a set of Projectlines. The transformation projects are now being progressively implemented. De Mot is the sixth call in this series and focuses primarily on residential programming.

Located on rue de Mot in Etterbeek, the project involves the conversion of two office buildings into residential units. It also includes the integration of active ground-floor and basement uses, such as amenities and/or retail functions. The ambition is to reconnect the buildings with the urban fabric and to improve their relationship with the street and the neighbourhood. The architectural assignment is expected to deliver an exemplary transformation, with high sustainability standards: reduction of carbon impacts (both operational and embodied), integrated water management, and the implementation of circular design principles.

Whitewood is seeking a design team for the architectural commission, including expertise in architecture and landscape design. The selected team will collaborate with an executive architect, structural and MEP engineers, and acoustic consultants appointed or to be appointed by the client.
The procedure includes a call for proposals, preceded by an intermediate workshop organized approximately one month before the submission deadline, in order to support the development of the proposals.