A redevelopment project
for the China House in Laeken, Brussels

French architect Alexandre Marcel designed both the China House and the Japanese Tower and oversaw their construction in the landscape surrounding the royal estate of Laeken. Both buildings were inspired by the “Tour du Monde” (Around the World) pavilion at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris and commissioned by King Leopold II as a testament to the good relations between Belgium and Asia. The construction of China House began in 1903 and was completed in 1910, one year after the king’s death. In the 1990s – 2000th, it was completely restored, but despite this restoration, China House had to close in 2013 due to instability. In 2019, at the initiative of the Brussels-Capital Region, it became a listed building and in January 2025, the Council of Ministers of the Belgian federal government ratified the creation of a non-profit association in charge of the revitalization of the building and its annexes under the name of China House and the Silk Road Countries.