A Flagship new headquarters building for a stronger presence in the heart of Europe.

In April 2012, BNP Paribas Fortis announced plans to build its new headquarters in Montagne du Parc in the centre of Brussels opposite the Bozar museum. The existing building on the site was erected by the ‘Société Générale’ in the 1970s. In 1999 with the merger and consolidation of the Générale de Banque, CGER, VSB Bank, MeesPierson into the Fortis Group, it became one of the flagship buildings of the Fortis group in Brussels.

The current building is no longer able to meet the challenges of providing the best use of space, energy efficiency, effective management of maintenance costs, and standards officially required for flexible and environmental friendly buildings. BNP Paribas Fortis reached the conclusion that the most value would be added by constructing a new building on the same site, which blends in with its urban surroundings, also benefiting from a variety of convenient transport solutions (including Brussels Central station which is just hundreds meters from the building), and whose floor layout, facilities and services meet the most advanced standards in terms of sustainability and employee well-being, both in terms of organizing workspaces and providing facilities and services.

A new future-proof building
The new headquarters of BNP Paribas Fortis will be able to accommodate 4,500 workstations, 70% more than current capacity, with an unchanged overall floor space of around 100,000 m², of which 70,000 m² will be above ground. The plans are also in line with the Bank’s overall strategy for the regrouping of its main premises in Brussels and relocate most of their staff in this new building. The plans for reconstruction are also motivated by the Bank’s determination to meet the highest environmental and energy performance standards.
Max Jadot, CEO of BNP Paribas Fortis has expresses the bank’s will and wish for this new headquarters “The new building will be functional, connected and versatile. It will focus on ensuring high performance from a technical and environmental standpoint as well as promoting the well-being of our employees, while also providing sustainable mobility solutions and a closer alignment with the vision and urban impact considerations of the City of Brussels.”

Architectural design competition
Fully aware of the outstanding location of this site, the Bank worked in close cooperation with the Master Architect for the Brussels-Capital Region and the City of Brussels authorities to launch an architectural design competition in 2013. From a long list of 25 firms, seven were shortlisted to take part in the competition. After careful consideration of the design entries, the proposal from Austrian architecture firm be Baumschlager Eberle was selected, along with Styfhals & Partners and Jaspers-Eyers Architects.
The next steps will be to re-accommodate staff in the Bank’s other premises in Brussels and dismantle the technical facilities inside the building. The start of demolition work is scheduled for 2016. Construction of the new building is expected to begin in 2017 for scheduled completion by the end of 2021.

Through this decision, BNP Paribas Fortis is consolidating its strategy to optimise its buildings and control real estate management costs while reaffirming its strong presence in the Region and the City of Brussels .It will also provide BNP Paribas Fortis with a stronger presence and visibility in the heart of the European capital.