ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño completes the design for the future house of European history in Brussels

ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño, part of the Spanish renewable energy, infrastructure and water group ACCIONA, has completed the basic design for the House of European History in Brussels, located in Leopold Park. The company, which specializes in the design and execution of museum spaces and events, is currently carrying out the technical development of the project. The museum is expected to open at the end of 2015.

The 4000 m² House of European History will be located in the totally renovated Eastman building. It will offer visitors a collection of exhibits that aim to reflect the diversity of the continent and its common roots. The museum will also contribute to a better understanding of the origin of Europe's institutions by incorporating sophisticated audiovisuals and interactive units as well as conventional resources.

All the information will be translated into the 24 official languages of the European Union. Each visitor will be given a tablet that will guide them through the museum in their chosen language.

Structure of the exhibition

The ground and first floors will host the temporary exhibitions, while the permanent exhibition will begin on the second floor, where the visitor will have a general overview of the geographical definitions and visions of Europe throughout history, and its cultural and social heritage.

The remaining floors will present a chronological history of Europe from the 19th century onwards, with the formation of nation states, the two World Wars, the tensions between democracy and totalitarianism, the political division during the Cold War, the overcoming of dictatorship in Southern Europe, the collapse of socialist countries and the fall of the Iron Curtain. Within this broad context, there will be an overview of the milestones that marked the European integration process.

On the last floor, the visitors will be able to give their opinion on various European issues, participate in games, learn about Brussels and enjoy an audiovisual experience of Europe's diverse heritage.

The origins of the project

The House of European History was the brainchild of Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament between 2007 and 2009. Setting out his vision for the project, he said: " It should be a place where a memory of European history and the work of European unification is jointly cultivated, and which at the same time is available as a locus for the European identity to go on being shaped by present and future citizens of the European Union."

The House of European History will be located in the Eastman building of Leopold Park in the heart of the European district of Brussels. The building was built in 1935 to house a dental clinic for disadvantaged children and started being renovated to host the museum in November 2012. ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño joined the project in April of 2013 to develop the project´s design and assist in its execution.

ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño

ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño, founded en 1992, is Europe's leading company specializing in the design and execution of museums, exhibitions, events and multimedia shows. The company is a practitioner of "Cultural Engineering", which applies visual and sensory technology to convey the history, tradition and values of a certain place.