A new Foster + Partners-designed office building in Belval, Luxembourg has broken ground.
Dubbed ICÔNE, the 202,000-sf office complex has an interior reminiscent of an Escher painting, filled with light and greenery. The flexible layout encourages collaboration and addresses the need for safe working environments and the changes to the workplace that will emerge in the future.
“The project is designed to have open, flexible workspaces that respond to the emerging models of work today,” said Darron Haycock, Partner, Foster + Partners, in a release. “The atrium is a green light-filled space that is very much the social heart of the project, providing visual connectivity and a dynamic atmosphere for both work and play. Biophilia, the green landscaping, natural ventilation and visual connectivity all promoting collaboration and healthy wellbeing.”
The building was also designed to reference the industrial heritage of Belval and revitalize the area by making a positive contribution to the site and its surroundings. It is wrapped by an orthogonal facade and roof that emphasize the structural grid and give the building a unified industrial look. The façade is both structural and environmentally responsive, providing an integrated solution which allows for internal column-free office spaces as well as solar shading and maximized internal daylight.
The scheme releases to its neighboring buildings and addresses the different characteristics of the principal axes to the east and west. Entrances are articulated differently in response to the urban street and civic plaza while the building edge along Porte de France contains shops. Cafes and restaurants on the ground floor complement Place de l'Académie.
ICÔNE is arranged as two wings enclosing the central atrium. The atrium resolves the level changes between the street and the plaza though a series of stepped terraces that create an arrival sequence. The open circulation features communal terraces for informal meetings and break out spaces at higher levels overlooking the central volume. Glimpses of interior green spaces can be see-through a series of punched volumes that intersect the gridded structure.
The design, created in collaboration with Beiler Francois Fritsch, aims for a BREEAM Excellent rating and will be WELL Building Standard® certified.
Related Stories
| Feb 12, 2013
OMA's 'perimeter core' design wins competition for Essence Financial Building in Shenzhen
OMA partners David Gianotten and Rem Koolhaas rethink traditional office tower design with a plan that shifts the building's core to the edge for large, unobstructed plans.
| Feb 8, 2013
5 factors to consider when designing a shade system
Designing a shade system is more complex than picking out basic white venetian blinds. Here are five elements to consider when designing an interior shade system.
| Feb 6, 2013
RSMeans cost comparisons: office buildings and medical offices
RSMeans' February 2013 Cost Comparison Report breaks down the average construction costs per square foot for four types of office buildings across 25 metro markets.
| Feb 1, 2013
Delinquency rate for U.S. commercial real estate loans hits 11-month low
The delinquency rate for U.S. commercial real estate loans in CMBS fell 14 basis points in January to 9.57%. This is the lowest level in 11 months, according to Trepp, LLC's latest U.S. CMBS Delinquency Report.
| Jan 31, 2013
The Opus Group completes construction of corporate HQ for Church & Dwight Co.
The Opus Group announced today the completion of construction on a new 250,000-square-foot corporate headquarter campus for Church & Dwight Co., Inc., in Ewing Township, near Princeton, N.J.
| Jan 31, 2013
More cities requiring large buildings to use EPA’s energy management and reporting
In 2012, Philadelphia joined several other U.S. cities in passing a requirement that large buildings use Portfolio Manager, the Environmental Protection Agency’s energy management tool, to measure and report energy performance.
| Jan 29, 2013
Astellas' New Headquarters for the Americas Earns LEED Gold Certification
The new headquarters for Astellas in the Americas in Northbrook, Ill., has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the USGBC.
| Jan 16, 2013
SOM’s innovative Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza opens
The 2.59-million-square-feet building houses a mixed-use program of offices on its lower floors and a 416-room hotel.
| Dec 9, 2012
The owner’s perspective: high-rise buildings
Douglas Durst on the practicalities of development: “You must think about a building from the inside out.”
