The landmark of the man who built Brussels

His loft has a 360° panorama of Brussels, but he’s almost apologetic about the rain that is falling today and spoiling the view. It’s true that just the day before, snow covered the city and the Brussels landscape must have had something magical about it when viewed from this cloud of glass discreetly crowning Les Marolles. Michel, the architect, converted the former Jacqmotte factories into a combination of housing, offices, lofts and shops over 20 years ago. The project was carried out in the typical Brussels spirit of daring transformation and honouring the mixed-use approach that the city holds so dear. Perhaps that’s why Michel says that this is the heart of the capital. While that might seem geographically questionable, culturally it’s true: Les Marolles represents the very essence of what makes Brussels so special, with its strange mix of diversity, openness and organised chaos. This conversion echoed the creation of the lift, just opposite, at the same time, which also aimed to breathe new life into the district by providing a new link between the two heights of the city. And speaking of breaths of fresh air, this is where Michel comes to get one, with its unique views over the city, the works of art that swarm his loft and the books lined up in the long library partition; architecture books on one side, travel books on the other. Michel’s career has taken him just about everywhere in the world, and the world has also come to his loft for inspiration, thanks to its unrestricted view over Brussels. He can tell us all about the city he knows so well by pointing his finger in all four directions. Make people dream, then build. He’s got his head in the clouds but his feet firmly on the ground, just like the sculpture on his roof.