OFFICE 284

An office building in the European Quarter in Brussels resolves a 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, and on the ground level it allows view from the street to the back garden. 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 users. The building is illuminated by parallel strips of ceiling lights, which change direction in the lowest volume. The main entrance on the corner is marked by aluminium door overhangs. This thirteen-story glazed building adapts to the scale of the street, as a complex negotiation between a tower and a block.