A silver ring above the street. This is the Tondo footbridge in Brussels

·2 September 2026

In the Belgian Parliament complex in Brussels, you can see an unusual footbridge. The Tondo, designed by OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, takes the form of a steel ring and spans the gap between two buildings. The circular shape stems from the need to bridge the difference in levels whilst maintaining a gradient suitable for wheelchair users.

Tondo in Brussels: a ring-shaped footbridge

The project was commissioned by the Belgian government and carried out between 2017 and 2020. Tondo was not treated merely as a technical passageway between the buildings. The architects gave it a distinctive, almost autonomous form, which has become a recognisable feature of the parliamentary complex. The name ‘Tondo’ derives from the Renaissance term for a circular work of art. The ring-shaped form also has a very practical rationale here. The difference in height between the storeys of the two buildings means that a straight footbridge would be too steep for wheelchair users. The circular route made it possible to lengthen the path and achieve a gentler gradient.

A steel roof and an almost invisible suspension system

The structure consists of a rigid steel disc made up of prefabricated elements that were assembled on site. Slender metal rods, painted white, are suspended from the roof. Thanks to their small dimensions, the floor gives the impression of being suspended with almost no visible supports. From the outside, Tondo has an opaque form. Its surface is clad in polished stainless steel panels with a mirror finish. These reflect the 18th-century façade of the parliament building and its modern wing across the street.

Tondo’s glass interior and the play of reflections

From the inside, the footbridge looks completely different. The curved glass façade opens up a view of the surroundings, allowing passers-by to observe Brussels as they follow the circular route. At the same time, the light-reflecting surface limits the ability to see inside from street level. From the outside, however, passers-by can make out the silhouettes of people moving inside the Tondo. This effect may bring to mind Venice’s Bridge of Sighs, which also forms an enclosed passageway clearly set apart from its surroundings.

Major awards for a small-scale design

Tondo covers an area of just 110 square metres, yet it stands out against the backdrop of the Belgian Parliament complex and has gained considerable renown. The footbridge was nominated for the Brussels Architecture Prize 2021 in the ‘Small Intervention’ category and for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2022, one of Europe’s most prestigious architectural awards. In 2022, it also received the Steel Construction Award in the ‘Specific elements in steel’ category.

design: OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen
structure: Bollinger Grohmann
photographs: Bas Princen