A G R E A L E S TAT E A G R E A L E S TAT E I BOTANIC BUILDING Brussels
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. What was unique and interesting in this project is that it was a redevelopment of a tower which nobody wanted at that time. The unique location of the building along the inner ring road of Brussels and its location next to the Botanical Garden were two major arguments to reinforce our decision. The unusual shape of this tower is the result of the fact that we have been able to use in our advantage the cramped conditions of the land, the limited time frame as well as some specific urban restrictions. The tower, which was oriented on its narrow side to enjoy the view over the The Development team focuses on 4 axes: 2 URBAN REDEVELOPMENT, TURNKEY PROJECTS, Botanical Garden, is a true architectural achievement. 3 SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES & PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. 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. Alain De Coster, Head of Development 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.
Location Alongside the inner ring road and up to the Botanical garden, the Botanic Building dominates the skyline. The Botanic Building is located in the Espace Nord, the most exciting office area of Brussels. It is situated only a few meters from the Brussels major shopping center (City 2) and shopping street (rue Neuve). The capital s most important public transport hub, the CCN Northern Communication Center - is also located in the immediate environment. With its main-line railway station giving access to TGV, Thalys and Eurostar Services, as well as to every railway station in Belgium and to international airport, with its metro and tram station (10 lines) and its bus station (over 20 lines), there simply is no other interchange like it. 4 5 ANTWERPEN ANTWERPEN - BREDA A12 2 RING 0 E19 RING 0 5 E40 21 13 CHEE DE MONS BRUSSELS AV LOUIZALAAN EC 18 OTAN NAVO A 0 CHEE DE LOUVAIN 20 3 BLD DE LA WOLUWELAAN BRUXELLES BRUSSEL 4 NATIONAL LEUVENSESTEENWEG E40 21 16 E411 N 227 1 E19 MONS CHARLEROI - PARIS CHARLEROI CHARLEROI - PARIS NAMUR - LUXEMBOURG
A look back at the past The current Botanic Building was composed of two buildings: a tower known as the Tour des Cadastres that the architect Henry Montois constructed in 1965 and a small adjacent building, whose architect is Jacques Cook and that dated from 1955. 6 The small building (2.000 m²) largely predates the tower and is probably one of the first promotional buildings that targeted small companies. The building resembled a block of apartments/ studios dedicated to offices. Nobody talked of office buildings at that time. In the basis act, it was even called apartment building dedicated to offices. 7 Ten years later, the Tour du Cadastre (14.000 m²) was constructed: the building had a good structure but the facade should be rethought. Its particularities were: - Continuous floors (about 1.000 m²) - Thin floors which determine the brightness of workspaces - Significant height, an essential characteristic that helped to integrate modern requirements such as air conditioning and raised floors - An excellent gross/net ratio
The Challenge 8 The tower dates back to 1965 and was formerly known as the Tower of Cadastre; it belonged to 24 different owners and was partially unoccupied. The first step was therefore to redefine the ownership of the tower. An architectural competition was organized to renovate the property and increase its size from 14,000 to 20,000 sqm. The Atelier d Architecture de Genval and the architects Accarain & Bouillot were chosen to realize the Botanic Building. During the construction of this tower, we had the opportunity to acquire a small adjacent building. There ensued a race against the clock to design an extension to the project worthy of the first phase and to finish this tower at the same time. This extension, a cylindrical tower of 10,000 m², was constructed in 15 months. The whole promotion was made without any preletting and the building was fully leased one year after completion. 9
The architects The collaboration between the Atelier d Architecture de Genval and Accarain and Bouillot was a model of complementarity. ACCARAIN & BOUILLOT 10 In 2000, the Atelier de Genval won an architectural competition launched for the renovation of a building constructed in the early 60s, a property that housed the administrative services of the State. Under the terms of the project, a building with a strong personality had to be integrated into the Brussels landscape. It needed to be validated by crystal clear signs intended for both its distance and nearby environment. This was the aim for the way the volumes are treated, the forms they take, the textures, materials, colors and stylistic details. At the foot of the building, the presence of the Botanic Garden exerted a strong influence on the design process, creating on the gable a series of terraces covered by pergolas to provide a suitable harmony of scale with the Park and its plants. The set of terraces is bolstered by a large vertical structure that faces the railway station and the business district. The loss of surface resulting from decease in terraces on the built length allows for the creation of a supplementary, more financially worthwhile volume by way of compensation. This was achieved by clearly focusing on the older central core. In the wake of the competition, the Atelier de Genval, selected as concept designer, formed a partnership with the Accarain & Bouillot firm of architects, which took charge of the execution. 11
12 A penthouse office building 13 The building consists of one oblong wing, the south façade of which has terraces and overlooks the Botanic Garden, and one cylindrical wing facing Saint-Lazare Square. The total surface area of the offices is approximately 30,000 m² (20,000 m² + 9,600 m²) and the underground car parks have a surface area of 5,780 m². The image of the building, previously oriented on its wide side, is turned on its narrowest side, the south side, which is the one we see from the inner ring road and the Botanic Garden. This narrow side is decorated with pergolas and terraces and becomes the bow of the ship... The addition of terraces and pergolas reinforce the image of the building and found a human scale.
14 15 Floors: 19 + technical level Typical floor: 1.732 m² Modulation: 1.20 m Car Park: 220 spaces Basement: 3 levels Lifts: 9 super fast
Entrance hall The main entrance is located in the south side facade, facing the Botanic Garden. A second entrance is located along the Boulevard Saint- Lazare. An outside car park of 50 spaces welcomes you on the ground floor. 16 17
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Project team Architects Atelier d Architecture de Genval Rue de la Sablière, 8 1332 Genval Accarain & Bouillot Avenue du Diamant, 28 1030 Brussels General contractors Botanic Building I s.a. Kumpen Paalsteenstraat 36 3500 Hasselt www.kumpen.be Botanic Building II CIT Blaton avenue Jean Jaurès, 50 1030 Brussels Stability Engineering Waterman TCA s.a. Boulevard de l Humanité, 233 1620 Drogenbos www.waterman-tca.com Special Techniques Engineering Luxconsult s.a. rue Glesener 21 1631 Luxembourg Grand Duché du Luxembourg 27 Facades Belgo Metal (Permasteelisa) Vantegemstraat 9230 Wetteren www.permasteelisa.com AG REAL ESTATE Developer 4-10 Sint-Lazare Boulevard 1210 Brussels www.agrealestate.eu Designed & produced by FAB www.fab.be Pictures from Marc Detiffe & Yvan Glavie et Airprint