© Eric Chenal
There are few places in Europe where one can find as high a concentration of major banks and public administration bodies as Kirchberg district of Luxembourg City. Since the 1960s, the European Court of Justice, the European Investment Bank, the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber of Commerce, an exhibition centre and a variety of banks have established their position on this elevated plateau in the northeastern part of the city. Dominique Perrault, I.M. Pei, Gottfried Böhm and Christian de Portzamparc have all completed major buildings here.
Large housing schemes are a relatively new phenomenon on the Kirchberg plateau. In recent years, a mixed-use area which includes shops, offices, clinics and senior housing, as well as apartments for 1,800 residents has sprung up at the eastern edge of the district. Designs for all the apartment buildings originated in a number of architectural competitions initiated by the city development fund, FUAK.
The architectural firm of Nico Steinmetz and Arnaud de Meyer designed three social housing blocks which demarcate the western edge of the residential district. For the client, the national housing association SNHBM, this was a novel experience as it was the first time they had outsourced a design contract. The three, almost identical buildings stand on a shared plinth level, which accommodates offices, doctors practices and retail space, below which a spacious parking garage is located.
Large housing schemes are a relatively new phenomenon on the Kirchberg plateau. In recent years, a mixed-use area which includes shops, offices, clinics and senior housing, as well as apartments for 1,800 residents has sprung up at the eastern edge of the district. Designs for all the apartment buildings originated in a number of architectural competitions initiated by the city development fund, FUAK.
The architectural firm of Nico Steinmetz and Arnaud de Meyer designed three social housing blocks which demarcate the western edge of the residential district. For the client, the national housing association SNHBM, this was a novel experience as it was the first time they had outsourced a design contract. The three, almost identical buildings stand on a shared plinth level, which accommodates offices, doctors practices and retail space, below which a spacious parking garage is located.