Trapped in the shadow of the surrounding towers, the North Station had disappeared from the urban landscape. The demolition of the CCN, the Communication Centre North, in 2025 opened up, for the first time in a long while, a new view of the station building and of the Royal Church of Sainte-Marie rising behind it. Designed by architects Paul and Jacques Saintenoy and Jean Hendrickx-Van Den Bosch, this modernist building with classical accents was constructed between 1938 and 1956 as part of the works for the North-South connection.
With the help of architects, engineers and urban planners, ARAU developed a proposal for a forecourt in front of the North Station, in order to preserve this perspective and create a pleasant public space. This visit revisits the history of the district and the station and presents the proposed layout.