The building where the Banque Nationale (BNB) is headquartered occupies the entire length of Boulevard de Berlaimont – it’s hard to miss! A paradigm of modernity, it is located at the fulcrum between the upper and the lower town, built on a plot with a difference of more than 8 metres between the main entrance and Rue du Bois Sauvage, at the back. With its imposing architecture, rich heritage and complex built environment, it represents an impressive architectural challenge!
The BNB plans to fully renovate its headquarters to make space for all its employees (currently spread throughout several buildings) by 2028. With its ambition of becoming “The National Bank of tomorrow”, the BNB wants to develop new ways of working centred around co-operation and intellectual productivity.
To achieve this, the National Bank is looking for high-performance office building with 1,500 work stations, a conference centre, extensive meeting and training facilities, a semi-public plinth, its public functions and various support facilities. In collaboration with local and regional administrations, preliminary research on the architectural history of the building, an assessment of heritage value and a volumetric study have been carried out. Based on these, general guidelines pertaining to urban development, architecture and heritage have already been determined.
The project’s many ambitions include durability, making the building more porous, and respecting its history, which combines monumental qualities with a certain dignity, also in the technical details and choice of sophisticated materials.
The National Bank is looking for a multi-disciplinary team able to manage all the basic services included in a design proposal (architecture, stability, specialist technical services) as well as all the other disciplines required to execute the project (health and safety coordination, acoustical studies, energy performance, surveys, geometrical measurements, technical controls, physical security for the building and various durability and heritage experts).