EXHIBITIONS
Building M of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, submitted by rector Caroline Pauwels
The most iconic building on the Oefenplein campus in Ixelles is undoubtedly the rectorate building. The building was designed by architect Renaat Braem (1910-2001). In his search for a form that symbolised the VUB's ideas, he ended up at the ellipse. This can "take on an infinite number of forms, is dynamic and stands for a-dogmatic thinking, a heliocentric world view and the infinite search for scientific truth". The architect incorporated this thought into all parts of the building: the reliefs on the canopy refer, among other things, to free inquiry and the murals on the various floors depict the development of life and mankind. The location of the building on the campus (with its long axis perpendicular to the axis of Avenue General Jacques) is not arbitrary. When cars pass by on Avenue General Jacques, drivers first get a frontal view of the entire facade, which then tapers sharply at the head. This is totally different from the traditional positioning of buildings in a street (with facades that follow the axis of the street) and increases its visibility.
Since 2007, the building is a protected monument of the Brussels-Capital Region.