Le Corbusier turned down Mr Guillaume’s invitation. The Frenchman’s previous negative experiences when he submitted plans for the development of Antwerp’s Left Bank are said to have played a role in his reluctance to submit designs and plans for other projects in Belgium.

It was then decided that the task of designing the block should be then given to Willy Van Der Meeren. Willy Van Der Meeren was already well-known for the revolutionary prototype of prefab housing that he had designed for the European Coal and Steel Community. Although it never went into production, Willy Van Der Meeren’s prototype received much critical acclaim.