Renovations to the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, having been pled for for more than a decade, finally came on step closer this week as a study bureau was designated by Beliris, an organisation which links the federal and Brussels regional governments. The establishment is in a state of advanced disrepair. Members of the audience can clearly see the state of collapse of the walls and floors; backstage, the situation is even worse. Students and staff have long protested the state of affairs; members of the public joined later in calling on the governments to do something.
Finally, according to Frédéric de Roos, director of the institution, a “crucial step” was taken with the nomination of the temporary consortium Origin-A2RC Architects-FVWW as a study bureau to plan the works required to restore the conservatory to its former glory.
That will require a study of the buildings’ origins, as well as an examination of what would be required to return the establishment to its original state, including what it would cost.
The first study stage has a budget of €515,000; the first stage of works is budgeted at €4.8 million. Later, planning permission has to be obtained for certain works, due to start in 2023, with the cost divided between the federal government and the two language communities, responsible for education.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
