INTRODUCTION. Alain De Coster, Head of Development

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3 INTRODUCTION The Development team of AG Real Estate specializes in the research, finalizing and/or renovation of new office, residential or mixed use projects, and has been behind the construction of 2 million square meters. It is active in Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Hungary. This team of 35 people consists of Development project managers and Construction project managers who follow projects from beginning to end with the internal support of juridical, financial and fiscal specialists of AG Real Estate. The Development department is particularly proficient in Build to Suit operations dedicated for one occupant and in multi-occupants projects management. The capacity to finance projects with its own resources is also a major argument to strengthen customer s confidence. Since 2009, the sustainable development became a leading impulse for every new project and a team was especially set up to focus on these new green technologies. AG Real Estate is a 100 % subsidiary of AG Insurance. It is the largest real estate investor and developer in Belgium, also specialized in asset and car park management. Arsenal is a beautiful example of expertise since our task was to combine new buildings and renovated buildings within a particularly distinctive site that has already undergone some renovations. So we stayed consistent with the military spirit of the site and have developed a mixeduse project on the two-thirds of the neglected land. It was an interesting mix consisting of residential and office buildings, but also a restaurant and an incubator whose purpose is to accommodate university spin-offs or other innovating startups arising from scientific research. A special attention was paid to landscaping and driveways and to create secure pathways. The Arsenal site was completed in mid-2009, after 4 years of construction, and has created thousands of jobs and about one hundred homes. It represents an investment of nearly 75 million euro for a total area of 27,000 m² divided into 7 buildings» Alain De Coster, Head of Development 3

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5 Location The Arsenal is situated in Etterbeek, one of the eastern districts of the City of Brussels in Belgium. The Arsenal site, close to the European institutions, is in the heart of a district that offers a rich and varied infrastructure of services: schools, universities, cultural centre, swimming pool and sports centre, plus large and small stores. The land itself is based on a trapezoid-shaped plan, consisting of buildings grouped round a series of courtyards and surrounded by a fence with entrance gates. When it was first built, the main features fronting Boulevard Louis Schmidt were two identical neo-tudor style buildings situated either side of a large courtyard. At both extremities of these two buildings is a monumental, crenellated corner tower. 5 Louis Schmidt Boulevard, Etterbeek

6 A look back at the past In 1901, working with the architect H. Van Dievoet, the army built the Artillery Park on a piece of land that is today bounded by Boulevard Louis Schmidt, Rue des Pères Blancs, Avenue des Volontaires and Chaussée de Wavre. 6 From 1927, the Artillery Park name was abandoned and replaced by Arsenal du Charroi (Transport Arsenal) and the area was used for the maintenance and repair of military transport equipment, initially horse-drawn, and subsequently motorised vehicles. In 1976, abandoned by the Army supply specialists, the Arsenal was transferred to Rocourt, another Belgian city.

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9 A site, its reallocation in a trendy spirit In 1989, the Society for the Development of the Brussels Capital Region purchased a large section of the Arsenal site, consisting of two glazed sheds, the entrance building and the building in the corner formed by Boulevard Louis Schmidt and the Chaussée de Wavre. A year after they were bought, the two sheds were refurbished and converted for commercial use in conjunction with the architect Terlinden. Since then, numerous prestigious companies have taken up residence, including Delvaux (Belgium s most famous leather goods workshops), Mer du Nord, Nathan and Marlboro Classics (famous clothes brands), Maison du Bois, SAP Lounge,. 9 In 1999, the building located in the corner formed by Boulevard Louis Schmidt and Chaussée de Wavre, was refurbished and converted into a restaurant whose name, Le Mess, harks back to the origins of the site.

10 The plan, our intentions 10 In 2004, AG Real Estate realized a new project with the intention to finalize the site. The aim was to add on the site: 1. an office building of m² 2. a company incubation center dedicated to new technologies of information and communication under the aegis of the VUB (Free University of Brussels) 3. a green space open to the public, fitted out with urban furnishings and adorned with a fountain 4. a restaurant in the previous boiler room of the site 5. a building meant to produce immaterial goods, three residential buildings, each featuring 32 apartments In October 2005, the first stone was laid and 4 years later, the Arsenal site was entirely finished and occupied. 1

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13 The architects The association of architects between Archi 2000 and Atlante is in charge of the project. ATLANTE ATELIER D'ARCHITECTURE ET D'URBANISME «The aim of the architects was to build and highlight the positive aspects of an urban and military architecture that characterize the site. «The project involved the revaluation of a 2 ha land in achieving a mixed project made up of offices and hundreds of new housing. 13 In terms of urban planning, the building is built according a trapezoid-shaped plan made up of sober buildings grouped around courtyards. Architecturally, the buildings are timeless with two dominant materials that are brick and bluestone.» The setting up of these new buildings corresponds to the suburban philosophy of the former military site what has permitted to create green areas that benefit both the occupants of premises that neighborhood. The architecture is simple, functional and respectful of the unit site image» Philippe Verdussen, Archi 2000 Jean-François Lehembre, Atlante

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17 A first office concept, cutting-edge technology and qualitative environment maximum amount of natural light. The building of m² created by the architects Archi 2000, has been designed to fit in with the architectural character of the site. The façades feature the two dominant materials used: brick and blue stone. Made up of two basement levels, a ground floor and three levels, the building is a simple «H» shape. The working areas arranged around two interior patios with plantings. This configuration, thanks to the fully glazed facades of the patios, provides An impressive and at the least attractive element of the building is undoubtedly its stairwell that is opened on the floors and lifts stages. This stairwell makes easier vertical exchanges and contribute to a more frequent and efficient communication between persons and departments. A glass roof that creates a real light well in the center of the building also overhangs. 17

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20 A second office concept, a different way of working This building of m² is noticeable thanks to the loft atmosphere of its working area. The restoration project has been designed to respect the architecture of the building and site. The features are bricks and blue stone as for the rest of the site. The building, with a rectangle shape, is made up of a garden level and 2 mezzanines levels, divisible in 2, 3 ou 4 separated entities. The working areas take place around an interior atrium lighted thanks to the 8 glass roofs. 20

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25 A residential concept, sober and functional apartments Each of the buildings has a ground floor plus 3 levels of apartments and an area on the roof for the duplexes. There are accesses to the car park and entrance halls on the garden level. The 96 apartments, including the duplexes, offer a choice of 2 or 3 bedrooms, with floor areas ranging between 100 m2 and 150 m2. All of the apartments are the through type, featuring dual aspect outlook and a pleasant view over the treed common space. The living rooms have a totally glassed wall that opens out on to a spacious terrace facing southwest. 25 The bedrooms have a more temperate climate to the northeast. The materials used are the ones that were originally at the site: natural stone for the basement and foundations, baked earth brick for the facings and metal for the windows and railings. To preserve the unified image of the site, a large base wall made from natural stone, topped by a fence, provides protection for the premises.

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28 Landscape Architecture A particular attention was paid to urban planning and landscape architecture that were both realized by JNC International s.a. Our vision lies in a perception of the environment that focuses on maintaining a harmonious balance in the relation of Urban areas to Nature. Our working method, characterized by a creative, participatory approach, targets an environmentfriendly human dimension. 28 A public park with a fountain gives the location further greenery and also provides an area of peace and quiet in an urban setting. Private and secure roadways link the site along landscaped gardens. The apartment buildings also feature a succession of landscaped private gardens. The site is fenced and its vehicle and pedestrian access ways are equipped with access control devices.

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34 Project team Architects Archi 2000 Avenue du Vivier d Oie, Bruxelles Atlante Avenue Emile Van Becelaere, 28b 1170 Bruxelles General contractors Heijmans Bouw n.v. Taunusweg Bilzen CFE Avenue Herman Debroux BRUXELLES Stability Engineering Setesco s.a. Avenue Maurice 50 bte Bruxelles Special Techniques Engineering ELD partnership Jan Blockxstraat Antwerpen Acoustical Engineering VENAC Boulevard Belgica 30 bte Bruxelles Landscape architecture J.N.C. The Globe Village Chaussée d Alsemberg, Bruxelles AG REAL ESTATE Developer 4-10 Sint-Lazare Boulevard 1210 Brussels Designed & produced by FAB Production - Pictures from Marc Detiffe

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36 A G R E A L E S TAT E

37 A G R E A L E S TAT E I ARSENAL Brussels