When visiting an exhibit, one only views the artwork for a short time; but the impression left by that artwork can still be long-lasting. In the same way, temporary architecture can make an ongoing impact on its surroundings. Whether a public art installation or a fleeting structure, short-term projects create a dynamic that can trigger or accelerate future developments for that space.

Cityscape is a colossal wooden sculpture in Brussels’ Quartier Louise. With it, the Belgian artist and designer Arne Quinze has shown how creative visions at the intersection of architecture, art, design and urban planning can make a social and structural impact.

A sculpture that appears to float in the air, Cityscape was built in just twenty days out of more than 60 kilometres of wooden beams and 240,000 nails. While at first glance the construction seems chaotic and indecipherable, a closer look reveals its astonishingly clear and defined forms. Cityscape has been enthusiastically received by local residents as well as avant-garde architects and design aficionados from around the world.

The book Cityscape presents the ambitious artwork in all of its facets. In addition to compelling photographs of both the construction process and the finished structure, Cityscape includes illuminating texts by the design journalist Max Borka. His essays vividly describe how the project was developed – from the artist’s original vision to its implementation and reception.

The sculpture Cityscape gives new life to a once stagnant urban landscape. In the long term, the unconventional artistic energy of such projects will open up further possibilities for additional forms of city planning.