In Brussels, the Chinese Pavilion stands proudly, although somewhat decrepit. This intriguing building has been closed and abandoned for more than ten years. What architecture does it hide within it? Is there a solution to prevent it from completely falling into disrepair?
A stone’s throw from Laeken Castle, a jewel of Belgian history is silently decrepit: the Chinese Pavilion no longer has its former splendor. But what is hidden behind its walls?
“We are here on the ground floor of the Chinese Pavilion (…). Why Chinese Palace? Because as you can see, it’s a magical building, it’s a precious building, it’s a wonderful building“, says Diane Hennebert, passionate about architecture and Art.
An Asian pavilion in Brussels was the surprising idea of King Leopold II in 1900. If the facade was built in Shanghai, a French architect, Alexandre Marcel, was in charge of the interiors. “It’s a very eclectic, very singular building, one of a kind. It’s a building that mixes lots of different styles, 18th century styles, 19th century styles, the Art Nouveau style too. What is interesting is that they imprinted here the taste of the time for Chinoiserie“, the latter.
A building that is no longer inhabited, loved, maintained, is a building that dies
Initially, King Leopold II wanted to make it a luxury restaurant… The pavilion will ultimately serve as a museum. In 2013, it finally closed its doors to the public for security reasons: its balconies were in danger of collapsing. Diane Hennebert is indignant: “When you have a stability problem like this, the ideal would be to restore it directly, to repair it. Especially since, in the early 1990s, a very important phase of restoration work had just been completed. There was no reason, frankly, to close this building so radically, and certainly for so long.“.
Throughout the winters and storms, the Chinese Pavilion takes on water. His frescoes are falling into pieces. “A building that is empty, a building that is no longer heated, a building that is no longer inhabited, loved, maintained, is a building that dies. Why do we let buildings like this die in Belgium? I can’t accept it, I can’t understand it“, the enthusiast still worries.
“A disaster”
The pavilion belongs to the Royal Donation, it is managed by the Buildings Authority. Why let a heritage jewel deteriorate like this? Some work is simply a priority. “We did work in 2021 to really take care of the roof, the waterproofing, the balconies. There is a lot of work that has already been done urgently. You should know that the Royal Museums of Art and History have decided to no longer be interested in buildings from 2023. For us, this also has an impact on our operation“, explains Sylvie Decracker, spokesperson for the Régie des Bâtiments.
This building, of which we can be extremely proud, will eventually disappear
To save these treasures and finally launch renovation work, Diane set up a non-profit organization. It relies in particular on private funds, but the guardian of the pavilion is suspended from a final validation in the Council of Ministers: “If this is not done quickly, I will consider that it is a disaster, that it is irresponsibility and that this building, by continuing to let it deteriorate, this building of which we can be extremely proud will end up disappear“.
Estimated cost of renovations to the Chinese Pavilion: 6 million euros. Every year, we have to add a million to the bill.
chinese pavilion brussels architecture
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