Royale Belge


The Royale Belge former headquarters is a functionalist building from 1967 to 1970, located in Watermael-Boitsfort (Brussels).

Royale Belge (Axa)
General information
Architectural styleFunctionalism
AddressBoulevard du Souverain/Vorstlaan 23
Town or cityWatermael-Boitsfort, Brussels
Country Belgium
Coordinates50.8016759°N 4.4250841°E / 50.8016759; 4.4250841
Construction started4 April 1967
Completed25 June 1970
Renovated2021
OwnerSouverain 25
Height50.8 mt
Technical details
Floor area54,000 square meters
Renovating team
Renovating firmDDS.plus

Description

The cross-shaped design is by René Stapels and Pierre Dufau, who were inspired, among other things, by the John Deere World Headquarters of Eero Saarinen (Moline, Illinois). The building is 50.80 meters high and has a floor space of 54,000 square meters. The exterior consists of corten steel and bronze-colored smoke-colored windows. Thanks to the landscape architects Jean Delogne and Claude Rebold, the whole is harmoniously planted between ponds and greenery.

History

Construction began on April 4, 1967, followed by formal inauguration on June 25, 1970.[1] The client was the insurer Royale Belge. After it was merged into the French AXA in 1999, the complex was sold to Cofinimmo and leased back until 2018. AXA moved its Belgian headquarters to Place du Trône/Troonplein (former Electrabel Headquarters) in 2017. The United States became the new owner of the buildings in Boulevard du Souverain/Vorstlaan, with the intention of housing the US Embassy. However, the structure proved unsuitable for supporting heavy bulletproof glass.[2] To avoid drastic transformations, the Brussels-Capital Region's government placed the building on its safeguarding list, after which the Americans abandoned the project.[3]

See also

Notes
  1. Une croix, un mythe, La Libre Belgique, 25 juli 2003
  2. Axa-gebouw in Watermaal-Bosvoorde wordt beschermd, BRUZZ, 22 mei 2017
  3. VS-ambassade verhuist dan toch niet naar Watermaal-Bosvoorde, BRUZZ, 3 september 2018
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.