Interbuild wins contract for principal seat of European Council in Brussels
Bunnik, Netherlands, 17 June 2010 - Interbuild nv - an operating company of Royal BAM Group nv, active in the general construction market in Flanders and Brussels - has won a joint venture contract for the construction of the principal seat of the European Council. The contract includes the extension and renovation of Résidence Palace, located on the Wetstraat in the centre of the European quarter of Brussels. The project value amounts to approximately € 180 million, seventy percent of which is for Interbuild.
Client is Regie der Gebouwen (Buildings Agency). Interbuild will work in joint venture with Cegelec (part of the French Vinci group) and the Belgian company ITB, which will be responsible for most M&E works. The joint venture is expected to complete the project in 2013.
The contract for the principal seat of the European Council entails a combination of new construction and the renovation of Block A of the Résidence Palace and concerns approximately 45,000 m² of office space and conference rooms and 15,000 m² of substructure. Résidence Palace was built between 1923 and 1926 as a luxurious apartment building. The facades, entrances and the ground floor corridor are in the art deco style.
The project is designed by the reputable Belgian firm of architects Philippe Samyn & Partners, in collaboration with Valle Progettazioni from Italy and Buro Happold Ltd from the United Kingdom. A distinctive aspect of the design is a large glass cube with a spherical section, which will house conference rooms, a press room, a cafe and a restaurant. The cube is connected by bridges to the adjacent Justus Lipsius building, which houses the European Council. The sustainable character of the building will be underlined by the crowning PV panels. In 2009, the design was awarded the Green Good Design Award, a prestigious prize issued by the Chicago Athenaeum (Museum of Architecture and Design) and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Further information:
- Press: A.C. Pronk, +31(0)30 659 86 21;
- Analysts: P.R.E. Snippe, +31(0)30 659 87 07.