OFFICE 284

An office building in Brussels’ European Quarter resolves the corner condition of a city block by means of three volumes of varying sizes. Together they make a figure that both corresponds in height to the two neighbouring buildings and performs as an independent tower. Each volume has a different grid of aluminium window frames, which are nevertheless aligned in a unique system. The volume in the middle has a facade structure of aluminium U-profiles with a section that gradually increases in the higher floors. The lowest volume is characterised by double-height floors, with views from the street to the back garden at ground level. The volume on top has protruding sunshades of varying depth. The stepping configuration of these volumes makes roof terraces on two levels. Inside, the cores are pushed to the perimeter, allowing a flexible open space for any future uses. The building is illuminated by parallel strips of ceiling lights that change direction in the lowest volume. The main entrance on the corner is marked by aluminium door overhangs. A complex negotiation between a tower and a block, the 13-storey glazed building adapts to the scale of the street.