Page 21 - Pascal Smet News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Belgium 15:02 10/02/2021 Brussels MP Bianca Debaets (CD&V) told parliament that she would like to see smoke detectors in every residence. Currently smoke detectors are only required in rental properties in the capital. Requiring one or more smoke alarms in every home would bring Brussels into line with regulations in Flanders and Wallonia. According to the latest Fire Safety Monitor, from 2018, 65% of homes in Brussels are equipped with a smoke alarm. The Brussels fire brigade, said Debaets, has advised the government to implement the same regulation as the other two regions. The lack of regu...

An Art Nouveau gem unmasked in Covid-hit Brussels AFP 1/30/2021 AFP © François WALSCHAERTS The Hotel Solvay, an Art Nouveau gem in Brussels, is now open for public visits An emblematic Art Nouveau mansion designed by Belgian architect Victor Horta has opened its doors to the public in Brussels, revealing a long hidden jewel of the city's Belle Epoque glory. "It is perhaps even more important in the time of Covid to be able to spend a relaxing moment in the midst of this complete beauty," said Pascal Smet, heritage minister for the Brussels Region. Smet acted as a guide f...

SHARE An emblematic Art Nouveau mansion designed by Belgian architect Victor Horta has opened its doors to the public in Brussels, revealing a long hidden jewel of the city's Belle Epoque glory. "It is perhaps even more important in the time of Covid to be able to spend a relaxing moment in the midst of this complete beauty," said Pascal Smet, heritage minister for the Brussels Region. Smet acted as a guide for a handful of journalists around the Hotel Solvay, a three-storey mansion with a majestic staircase where natural light shines through a multi-coloured stained glass window. Detail o...

Living 11:16 26/01/2021 In what could be one of the most impressive urban regeneration projects Brussels has ever seen, the Avenue de la Toison d'Or and the Boulevard de Waterloo in the upper part of the city centre will be redeveloped to form what some are calling ‘the Champs-Elysées Brussels’. The redevelopment project, presented before the regional elections in 2019, is now entering a new phase, that of the public inquiry which starts this Wednesday, 27 January. The consultation will last for a period of one month. The project will see a radical transformation of the area stretching f...

Culture 10:40 22/01/2021 For years, politicians have been talking about the classification of the Atomium, but the City of Brussels has always provided enough opposition to prevent the iconic structure from gaining protected status. However, the latest attempts may finally result in a positive outcome. Classifying a building is a legal issue. It ensures that a building is protected. According to Atomium director Henri Simons, all the ministers he has had dealings with on the issue over the years have thought about classifying the Atomium. However, Simons admits that it would be a symbolic rat...