In 1883 the law courts of Brussels were completed and became the largest building of their time, built from the spoils of the Congo. To make room, the majority of the Marollen neighbourhood was demolished, and to this day the phrase “Skieven Architek” (“crooked architect”) is still an insult. The scaffolded tower and gilded dome dominate the Brussels skyline.

Now most of the structure lies empty and abandoned. No one knows how many exits are in the building, and prisoners can escape and hide in its labryinth of rooms. In order to determine the future of the law courts, a competition was announced: Architecture for Justice – imagine the future. Over 180 entries were received, half from within Benelux.

The suggestions range from a luxury brothel, a refugee center, an observatory, to an architecture school, but my favourite is “Equilibre précaire” (“Precarious balance”). The propose removing all judicial functions and transforming it into an amusement park with a huge roller coaster on the roof, where visitors can discover new views of the city.

The interior of the palace will be transformed to contain a ghost house, a Ferris wheel inside the concourse, fashion shows, waffles and smoutebollen doughnuts, and hotel rooms in the old prison cells.

I think that this idea has definite potential.

Photo and video from brusselscourthousecontest.be

The Palais de Justice (law court) looms over our horizon. It was finished in 1883 and was the biggest building constructed in the 19th century. Whole neighbourhoods were demolished, and to this day the term “Skieven Architek” (crooked architect) is an insult in the local Marolles dialect.

It is a terrible design for a law court – so big that the accused can escape easily and hide in the hundreds of empty and deserted rooms. The cost of renovations is astronomical, and the scaffolding is so old that soon it too will require maintenance.

There is currently a competition for future uses of the Palais de Justice, such as a stadium or a hotel. Part of the building will retain its judicial function, and the plans for the rest will be announced next year.

Our first port of call was an afternoon in Barcelona, my first time in Spain. We visited two very different works by the architect Antoni Gaudí who lived from 1852 to 1926. The port itself was difficult to exit from, requiring a shuttle bus from the boat into the city. Once inside the city, we each bought a one day metro pass and made our way quickly and easily throughout the city, avoiding the worst of the rain and giving our feet a bit of a rest in between stops. We stepped out of the metro to find ourselves at the foot of the Casa Batlló, often called the house of bones.

This house was renovated by Gaudí for the Batlló family in 1904, and is full of beautiful yet practical intricacies. The whole building feels as if it has sprouted from the ground, with organic lines that flow from one space to the next. The gill-like intricate wooden carvings in the doors can be slid upwards to control the ventilation, and the whole front window of the living room can be raised vertically to let open up the house on a summer’s day. The core of the building is a courtyard of light, tiled with a blue mosaic that darkens as it nears the sky. As the light is brighter at the top, this gives the illusion of a constant shade of blue all the way down. Every room has at least one source of natural light. Even the fireplace is thoughtfully designed, as it has two inside – a larger one for a courting couple, and a smaller one for their chaperone. It is a home that I would love to live in myself.

The Sagrada Família was also designed by Gaudí, and it was the first time that I have ever seen a church under construction. Construction was initiated in 1883, and it is projected that it will finish in 2026. Financed solely by private donations, the building employs 200 people full-time to design, carve, and assemble this immense stone structure. The exterior of the church will have three main sides that depict the Christian nativity, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. Each scene is constructed in a different style. The figures in the crucifixion are carved with strong simple lines, and it was under this scene that we entered the church. While the resurrection scene is yet to be built, the nativity scene was mostly finished in the time of Gaudí. Now lying under a thick layer of soot, it looks like a melted sandcastle with drooping figures and dissolving towers.

While we didn’t think that the outside was very inspiring or beautiful, the inside of the church was quite lovely. The weight of the ceiling was held up by tall columns that split and stretched out like palm trees, with rays of light falling down between their leaves. These curved columns meant that no buttresses or flying buttresses were required, which permits the building to rise up quite quickly with a relatively small footprint. The stained glass is only now being placed inside the windows, and is the only source of colour in the grey stone temple. The most fascinating part of the visit was seeing the church as a work in progress. There were no pews or alters, only construction workers with plans and power tools.

We finished our architectural tour of Barcelona with a visit to the exterior of the world-heritage Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, built between 1901 and 1930. It was designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner, with intricate mosaics, carvings, and iron works. It only ceased functioning as a hospital in July this year, and is currently being renovated for conversion into a museum.