Royale Belge
| Royale Belge (Axa) | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Functionalism |
| Address | Boulevard du Souverain 23 |
| Town or city | Watermael-Boitsfort, Brussels |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°48′06″N 4°25′30″E / 50.8016759°N 4.4250841°E |
| Construction started | 1967 |
| Completed | 1970 |
| Renovated | 2021 |
| Owner | Souverain 25 |
| Renovating team | |
| Renovating firm | DDS.plus |
The Royale Belge former headquarters is a functionalist building from 1967-70, located in Watermael-Boitsfort (Brussels) along the Vorstlaan / Chaussée de Forest.
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. 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 the Troonplein (former Electrabel Headquarters) in 2017. The United States became the new owner of the buildings on Vorstlaan, with the intention of housing the American embassy. However, the structure proved unsuitable for supporting heavy bulletproof glass. To avoid drastic transformations, the Brussels government placed the building on the save list, after which the Americans abandoned the project.
External links
- Voormalige Royale Belge (Inventaris Bouwkundig Erfgoed)
- dss.plus
- bma.brussels