Installation of all the technical work packages for the headquarters of the European Council, or how to juggle cutting-edge technologies and heritage preservation.

Cegelec implemented all of the technical work packages for the new headquarters of the European Council and the Council of the European Union in Brussels: the Europa Building. This construction and renovation contract was awarded to the Interbuild-Cegelec group by the Régie des Bâtiments.

The whole project, designed by the Belgian architect and engineering company Philippe Samyn & Partners, represents a superstructure of around 50,000m² of offices and 20,000 m² underground.

The styling of the new headquarters is dominated by a large glass cube with a spherical section which accommodates, among other things, the conference rooms and the press room. This new building has been integrated into the historic building, constructed in the 1920s, which is situated in the heart of the European district in Brussels and whose façades, entrances and ground-floor corridors are in the Art Deco style and have been listed for their architectural value.

We had to comply with the client’s requirements in terms of controlling the energy consumption of the building. Photovoltaic panels and a cogeneration system supply some of the building’s energy requirements. Cool ceilings and a complex air-exchange system between the inside and the outside of the building were installed. The security aspect was also a fundamental element in this building, where leading political decision-makers gather at summits. The security equipment and the fire detection, access control, CCTV and BMS systems for the new building are all technologies for which we had to guarantee 100% reliability.

© Project : Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS architects & engineers, LEAD and DESIGN PARTNER. With Studio Valle Progettazioni architects, Buro Happold engineers.
© Colours : Georges MEURANT
© Photo : Marie-Françoise PLISSART