Triangle Building

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Triangle Building, seat of the European External Action Service

The Triangle Building (German: Dreiecksgebäude , formerly also known as The Capital ) is the headquarters of the European External Action Service (EAD) and the building in which most of it is located. The seven-story office building is located on the Schuman roundabout in the heart of the European Quarter of the Belgian capital, Brussels . In February 2012, the EAD staff moved into it. Its address is 1 Kortenberglaan / Avenue de Cortenbergh, Brussels 1040, Belgium.

history

The main building of the Triangle Building was completed on June 30, 2009. It replaced an architecturally diverse complex on the same site, which as JECL was named after the initials of the three surrounding streets Avenue de la J oyeuse E ntrée , Avenue de C locate bergh and Rue de la L oi .

When the decision was taken in 2001 to demolish the old JECL complex, the European Commission initially signaled its interest in buying the building site in order to build a new EU conference center there. The tough negotiations between the owner, AXA , and the Commission were tough and lasted for more than 5 years, but ultimately failed in 2006 because of the purchase price.

AXA then built the current building in a postmodern architectural style through the architects Genval Workshop and ELD , initially called The Capital. It is divided into six independent office subunits.

AXA wanted to split the complex between the Commission on the one hand, national embassies and private companies on the other. However, the European Commission refused to share the building with anyone and negotiations dragged on until August 2010. When the contracts were ready to be signed, in July 2010 the European Personnel Selection Office moved into one of the six parts of the Triangle Building with an office area of ​​10,000 m². This was followed by the Foreign Policy Instruments Service , a small department of the Commission and finally, in February 2012, the European External Action Service , which was previously spread over six different buildings in Brussels.

The Triangle Building during the construction phase looking across the Jubelpark .

architecture

The building with a triangular floor plan is divided into 6 technically independent sub-units, named after the capitals of the six founding states of the European Economic Community , the predecessor of the EU : Rome , Paris , Berlin , Luxembourg , Amsterdam and Brussels . In the center of the building is a large circular inner courtyard , lushly planted, which - according to the architect - "will be great" in 30 years.

The building will have to go through months of adjustments to meet the needs of the EEAS, including the security features. It is still unclear whether the office of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will keep an eye on the Schumann roundabout and thus the traffic between the Commission and the Council or whether it will be set up in the direction of the Jubelpark.

In contrast to the Berlaymont and Justus Lipsius buildings , the Triangle Building has neither a private tunnel access nor a helipad. AXA may reinstall a pedestrian tunnel to Berlaymont so that the High Representative could leave the building without being seen. Instead of a helicopter landing pad, the roof is covered with solar modules and thus meets the current environmental requirements.

The retail shops on the ground floor facing the street have autonomous heating systems and electrics for tax and safety requirements.

Ownership

The commission is expected to rent 50,000 of the 60,000 square meters of total space for the next 15 years for around 10 million euros per year. The EEAS will take up most of the office space, but there will still be some space for a few more Commission departments. The French insurance company AXA remains the owner . On the street side, space is reserved for shops on the ground floor. The rent for the EAD will be € 12 million per year, with the first year being free (the cost of the six separate buildings before the move was as much as € 25 million per year). The EEAS took office on December 1, 2010 in the lobby of the building.

More buildings

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://euobserver.com/18/115290
  2. ↑ a b lalibre.be
  3. ↑ a b c d e Andrew Rettman: Ashton set to take new office in EU nerve center . EU Observer. August 24, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  4. ↑ Andrew Rettman: Ashton chooses € 12-million-a-year EU headquarters. EU Observer, October 27, 2010.

Web links

Coordinates: 50 ° 50 ′ 33 ″  N , 4 ° 23 ′ 8 ″  E