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[-] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 3 points 12 hours ago

it would become “an urban agora”, a greener, calmer meeting place, nothing less

Ah okay, so concrete everywhere it is, then!

Why even use concrete for walk ways? It looks god awful, cracks and breaks within months, repairs are always ugly as fuck, it is a horrible material for that. At least use street stones or tiles, you can make awesome designs with it. It looks amazing, it doesn't crack, only maybe moves a little. If that happens, its easily repaired, just take out the stones, straighten the sand foundation, put the stones back.

Even if you need stones for people in stilleto shoes, you can pack them close enough tohryhet or use bigger tiles

And then for the architects under us: USE TREES, USE PLANTS, USE GREEN.

[-] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 6 points 22 hours ago

Jesus, how hard is it to not cover something with concrete, damn!

[-] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 2 points 22 hours ago

If only there was a cheaper, more natural way to equip an open space with greenery and shade. Like a "canopy" or a roof made of leaves of some kind...

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 points 22 hours ago

The article specifically says that there are tunnels and pipes below this roundabout so plating trees was not possible.

[-] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 1 points 22 hours ago

That makes sense for the trees. Still could've built a simpler structure with some plants that don't have such deep roots.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 4 points 22 hours ago

That was the plan. From the article it looks like it failed because Belgium can't elect a government and they were not able to fund this project properly. It's a simple administrative failure in a country with way bigger issues than ugly roundabout.

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Even the original vision was still a frying pan, only with a green egg.

fried green egg

[-] it_depends_man@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It is infinitely embarrassing that a simple roof as a shade is supposed to cost 13 million € or 5 million €.

Who is kidding themselves here.

Good on the Brussels local government for not allocating those funds.

[-] chaogomu@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

It would not have been a simple roof, but yes, it should have been built.

Green spaces and places to relax socially are always a good thing.

[-] it_depends_man@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

I agree on the green and social places. The thing I don't understand and where we disagree, is why everything always has to be such a dick measuring contest.

13 million Euros?! 13 MILLION Euros?

Not for a mansion, but for some... thing that's supposed to nothing but block a little sun in the summer?!

[-] schnapsman@feddit.org 9 points 1 day ago

It's a lot of money for sure, but it doesn't strike me as way off the mark given the size. As a fun exercise, check how much it costs to repave a street in your hometown and make sure you're sitting down first.

[-] john_lemmy@slrpnk.net 6 points 1 day ago

Fucking pivot then. The fancy green roof wasn't built, there are still many ways to add benches and, more importantly, soil, trees and bushes. Throw some water fountains while you're at it. The alternative is a sad, inhospitable place.

[-] huppakee@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

The redevelopment plan for Schuman Square at the heart of the EU quarter in Brussels was very ambitious. From a traffic-clogged, nondescript roundabout, it would become “an urban agora”, a greener, calmer meeting place, nothing less, said a former head of the Brussels government, than “a symbol that beats as the heart … of the European project”.

It did not turn out that way. The result, say critics, is Europe’s largest frying pan, a concrete expanse with little greenery or shade. While the number of cars has reduced and the space is remodelled with smart grey paving, the centrepiece – a steel canopy with a green roof – was never built.

[-] nomecks@lemmy.wtf 6 points 1 day ago

Sounds like it's time to drill a bunch of holes and plant a bunch of trees.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 1 points 22 hours ago

It was always going to be a complex project: majestic tall trees were out of the question as the square sits over an underground car tunnel, railway and metro station, and a maze of gas and water pipelines.

[-] leagman1@feddit.org 1 points 18 hours ago

What about raised beds for trees?

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 points 17 hours ago

That was the plan. Someone pasted a picture. You're not going to get big trees by planting them in pots. If they can't develop roots they simply will not grow very big.

[-] leagman1@feddit.org 1 points 16 hours ago

What if the bed is really big or something

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 1 points 11 hours ago

If you would put a 5m tall bed there people on the street level would simply stand next to a 5m wall with a tree on top. That would be pretty terrible.

[-] Folstar@lemmus.org 6 points 1 day ago

I would have made a giant web of sunshades with the flags of all member nations. Then again, at the cost of some poles and large sunshades plus labor, what would we do with the other 12 million euros?

[-] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 points 11 hours ago

Its one of the main protest spaces in Brussels. Lots of poles are impractical.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 15 hours ago

Invest in a fund to pay for 50 years of quarterly flag replacement.

[-] Folstar@lemmus.org 1 points 13 hours ago

Investing in future maintenance is a good idea. Though, do you say quarterly because you expect nations to start getting creative with their flags or because you don't know how long modern sunshades last? The park near my house has had the same cutesy shade over the playground for a decade and it looks fine.

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 5 points 1 day ago

They don't even have to plant trees, they can put grass on the ground and give space for vines. I heard khudzu grows like weed 😉

[-] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 points 11 hours ago

Addressed in the article. Its one of the main protest spaces in Brussels. It would turn to muddy shit quickly.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth -1 points 1 day ago

Taking up White House decor.

this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2026
107 points (99.1% liked)

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