JUNE 13 2018
FREESPACE- A TALE OF THE UNEXPECTED!
Freespace, -which happens to be the title of this year’s Biennale of Architecture in Venice, which we loved and highly recommend to visit - stands for achievements but for some unfortunate challenges these days in Luxembourg as well. The small Grand Duchy happened to largely increase its territory when securing a geostationary satellite position in the 1980s and successfully launching what is today, the world’s first satellite operator. Though space was not an issue at that time, it seems to be more of a challenge today. Luxembourg is massively missing housing, 92% of the constructible land is in private hands and speculation is high.When it comes to business needs, Luxembourg seems to be faced with yet a different problem. Land for business construction is available, foreign industrial companies flirt with Luxembourg to settle down with their headquarters, eager to contribute to the country’s economic growth, willing to provide their staff with an awesome quality of life in a multicultural country at the heart of Europe, with manifold public and private educational offers for their kids. Nevertheless, local authorities protect their land and their residents, blocking out business opportunities for the sake of the protection of the environment and leaving national stakeholders and enablers painstakingly treading water.
A status quo? A lost opportunity? Or yet another need to be business creative; to create Freespace! Free space for Luxembourg business… and housing! Space where no space was before. Like in the 80’s when small Luxembourg reinvented itself?
May be that is the gist of the matter!
(image: Biennale Venice 2018)
