Is Your Council Chamber Ready for the New City Council?

Belgium has 581 municipalities, each with its own council chamber, and since October 13, they are now home to many new guests. Of these council chambers, approximately 15% are future-ready.

The 15% isn’t from official research—it’s roughly the share of council chambers Whitemilk has outfitted with audiovisual setups in recent years. About 90. Two recent projects include Roeselare—where the paint is still drying—and Dilbeek.

Three key focus areas:

ACCESSIBILITY: Everyone in the council chamber should feel like they’re in the front row. Crystal-clear audio and monitors ensure everyone has a clear view of presentations. Moreover, council meetings are increasingly being streamed, making them accessible to a all.

ORDER IN THE CHAMBER: When is a city council, or any meeting for that matter, the opposite of productive? When everyone is speaking at once. A conference system brings structure and ensures everyone can be heard.

MULTIFUNCTIONALITY: A spacious, carefully designed room shouldn’t be limited to council meetings. It can also host press conferences or royal visits, for sure, but that’s only the beginning.

How they do it in Roeselare

Bart Vandenbroucke, Director of Support Services, stayed closely involved in every detail of Roeselare’s town hall renovation. "I think I could tell you where every power outlet is—it’s that important of a project," he says.

Since August, the main entrance has moved to the Grote Markt, nestled between the historical 18th-century town hall and the Belfry, which was rebuilt exactly 100 years ago after World War II. Both buildings have been partially reconstructed using original materials and colours, while featuring new interior walls, cutting-edge technology, and an indoor square, echoing the Grote Markt and connecting tradition with the more modern buildings in the back. Together, this has earned the title of "Flanders’ most sustainable town hall."

(photo: B-Architecten)

The grand council chamber sits within the Belfry. Its design had to meet several key criteria:

It needed to be very comfortable;
Equipped with all the technology necessary for modern council sessions, including hybrid meetings and digital voting;
As user-friendly as possible;
And aesthetically appealing. The computer floor features a ‘ceremonial red’ carpet, and at special request, white cameras were installed.

“Making things simple is often the hardest part,” Bart Vandenbroucke notes. “It’s easy to narrow things down to five choices, but if someone needs option seven, eight, or nine, you’re stuck. But we’ve managed to define the five right options on a small touch panel. You walk in, know what kind of meeting you want, press the correct button, and the system adjusts itself. People love that. When the meeting is over, the room returns to standby mode in just one click.”

One of the biggest challenges was installing the heavy projection screen, just above the heads of the high bailiff and merchants depicted in an old artwork. "But that went smoothly too. It sounds almost unbelievable, but I can’t see how we could have done it any other way," Bart says.

"From design to installation, everything went seamlessly, in close consultation. We knew we didn’t want anyone staring at the back of someone’s head, so we opted for a rectangular layout, but at the same time you don’t want displays to obstruct anyone’s view. And positioning the projection screen posed its own challenges. On paper, I wasn’t convinced—it looked a bit strange. But Whitemilk made the right call. It works perfectly."

A nice bonus: Supplier Televic is just ten minutes away from the town hall. "If the United Nations use this equipment, why wouldn’t we in Roeselare?" adds Bart Vandenbroucke.

How they do it in Dilbeek

In Dilbeek, the council chamber was upgraded in phases. The process began with the renovation of the stunning castle that is the municipality hall. Years later, the old audiovisual system had reached the end of its life. That’s when Patricia De Nil and Louis Massagé, administrative officer and team leader of the secretariat respectively, began exploring the best options. "Whitemilk’s Inetum-Realdolmen framework contract made it easy to order and the references looked good, but it still took us two years to make a decision—it’s a serious investment," says Louis Massagé.

Here, the key requirements were:

Ease of use.
High-quality video and audio streaming. Dilbeek is a pilot project for linking the conference system with streaming via Streamovations.
Everyone in the room should be able to follow presentations clearly, so a screen was installed at the back for those seated in the front.

Patricia De Nil and Louis Massagé are always present during council meetings. "Patricia makes sure everything works from the back, while I deal with the angry looks up front," Louis Massagé jokes. "There can be issues during a meeting—that’s why we’re there. In principle, everything operates automatically, so directing isn’t necessary, but it’s an advantage that we can easily take control when needed." Patricia adds, "I can set up the streaming from home, which is very convenient. But since there are multiple speakers, it’s easier if we’re actually in the room."

Ready for the Future?

Patricia mentions how she can easily make changes herself. "Council compositions change from time to time, and after elections, it’s all new. It’s a huge advantage that I can handle those adjustments myself."

Both council chambers are frequently used for other gatherings, such as presentations, committees, and training sessions. As the largest meeting space in the town hall, cities and municipalities want to fully utilise these rooms and their investments, now and in the future.