We Love Brussels
  • Urban Life
    • Urban Jungle
    • Photo Stories
    • But Why?
    • Smart City
    • City Branding
    • Seniors
    • Real Estate
  • Culture & Creativity
    • New Economy
    • Local Makers & Shakers
    • Illustrations
    • Fashion City
  • Discover & Meet
    • Travel & Tourism news
    • Foodie guide
  • Event Diary
  • Europolitan Trends
Brussels Inspiration Bureau
Social Links
Instagram 56K Followers
Facebook 57K Followers
Twitter 10K Followers
  • Our Story
  • Partnerships & Collaborations
  • Contact
56K
57K
10K
We Love Brussels
We Love Brussels
  • Urban Life
    • Urban Jungle
    • Photo Stories
    • But Why?
    • Smart City
    • City Branding
    • Seniors
    • Real Estate
  • Culture & Creativity
    • New Economy
    • Local Makers & Shakers
    • Illustrations
    • Fashion City
  • Discover & Meet
    • Travel & Tourism news
    • Foodie guide
  • Event Diary
  • Europolitan Trends
  • Community news
  • Building the platform
  • Community of city admirers
  • Partnerships & Collaborations
  • Get in Touch
Become our contributor. Join the team!

Sign up for our newsletter

Get our periodical updates. Zero spam.

  • archi & urban heritage
  • real estate

Brussels Government protects Marnix building

  • Editorial Team
  • March 21, 2021
  • 3 minute read

The Brussels Government has decided to protect the ING headquarters on rue Marnix by including it on the list of safeguarding Brussels heritage. The proposal came from Pascal Smet, Secretary of State in charge of Urban Planning who believes that after the Royale Belge and C.B.R., more emblematic modern buildings in Brussels such as the ING building must be also protected. Built by Gordon Bunschaft at the end of the 1950s, the headquarters of the BBL, now ING, avenue Marnix is ​​an exceptional building. One of the only realisations by Gordon Bunschaft in Europe.

The Region protects the ING headquarters

It was designed by a prominent architect in the 1960s and while being a modern building, its roots lie in classical architecture. Thanks to the purity of its lines, the beauty of its materials and its streamlined spaces, it is an important example of international style.

Peter Adams, CEO of ING Belgium also shared his satisfaction: “The official protection of Marnix as a monument demonstrates once again that the employees of our bank work in an exceptional building. We are going to start a major renovation of this building with the highest environmental ambitions. We will adapt it to the new needs of our employees with a balance between collaborative work in the office and more individual at home. In addition, the bank’s exceptional art collection will remain accessible to the public. This renovation must perpetuate the iconic character of the building while orienting it towards the future”.

By including it in the list of protected buildings and sites, we do more than only protecting it. We are also paving the way for the renovation that is planned in the coming months. As soon as this sanitary crisis over, we will organise a visit. This way, everyone will be able to discover this extraordinary building.

Pascal Smet, Secretary of State in charge of Heritage

The renovation of Marnix aims for the BREEAM Outstanding certification, one of the highest sustainability certificates for buildings and the Well Platinum certification in terms of well-being at work.

The history of the building

The site is that of the former Lambert family mansion (1885), which occupied the corner of Avenue Marnix and Avenue des Arts. Léon Lambert contacted the firm Skidmore Owings et Merill (SOM) and its architect Gordon Brunschaft for the development of the project. Bunschaft engages in a search for cohesion with the classical architecture of the immediate surroundings, wanting to take into account the architectural history of the European city which he wishes to interpret in a personal way. He immediately expressed his willingness to experiment with the different possibilities offered by the combination of precast concrete elements.

He created a monumental facade, both simple and innovative, composed of two superimposed parts: a glazed facade (curtain wall) on which is inscribed a second facade formed of concrete and quartz crosses linked together by stainless steel hinges. The emphasis is on horizontal lines. The crosses are embellished by projection onto their surface with a sparkle of quartz, a very hard stone which is transformed by successive polishing into luminous shards, giving the polished concrete a lively texture similar to marble. The concrete cross structure also has the advantage of protecting the building against solar radiation.

In the early 1970s, Baron Lambert re-contacted SOM with a view to extending the building to the rear. Gordon Bunschaft develops two variants, the first in the shape of an O (a new volume with an interior patio) the other in the shape of an H. In the end, the shape of an asymmetrical H is chosen because of the narrowness of the side streets. and because it offers the possibility of creating an esplanade between the two wings of square plan and closed on three sides, accessible by car via a circular roundabout whose center is planted with trees. The idea of ​​making an exact copy of the original building, for the extension, is perfectly assumed by the firm SOM which considers the extension as the accomplishment of the work begun in the early 1960s by Gordon Bunschaft. The challenge has been met since from the outside you cannot distinguish the difference between the two buildings.

You can find more info about the protection of this building on this link.

Total
26
Shares
Like 26
Tweet 0
Share 0
Share 0
Like 0
Share 0
Editorial Team

WeLoveBrussels is a digital platform focusing on the city life, culture, creativity, events, amazing places, lifestyle, urban development trends and simple beauty around us.

You May Also Like
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • real estate
  • Urban Life

Brussels will build first public open-air swimming pool on Abattoir site

  • Editorial Team
  • December 30, 2022
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage

2023: The Year of Art Nouveau in Brussels

  • Dorka Demeter
  • December 3, 2022
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • real estate

Final approval of Brussels Government to planning permit for renovation and extension of SNCB buildings on Avenue Fonsny

  • Editorial Team
  • December 1, 2022
Brussels Inspiration Bureau

Exploring the best of Brussels since 2014.

Discover more!
Our columnists & bloggers:
Aleksandra Rowicka
Addicted to cultural life of Brussels, fashion photography and dark…
Aris Setya
Indonesian living in Brussels. Passionate about photography. Love…
Boro Milovic
Boro is the founder and editor-in-chief of WeLoveBrussels. His interests…
Dorka Demeter
Dorka is a Hungarian expat living in Brussels for 10 years. Admirer of…
Emilia Valbum
Expat from Copenhagen living in Brussels. EU + global politics nerd on…
Fadi Dalati
A urologist by profession, and a photographer by passion. I try to…
Julia Zelle
Half-Italian, half-German girl who has just moved to Bruxelles.…
Karolina
Karolina is a blogger sharing stories on European cities, local…
kateinbrussels
I am Kate. I've lived in Brussels for 16 years and am still discovering…
Meredith @ellesbxl
Meredith Geldof is a Flemish girl who moved to Brussels and enjoys…
Tireless_Traveler
Nath is born and raised in Brussels but with a serious case of…
Download our free guide!
Incentives & events in Brussels:
Incentives & events in Brussels:
Missed our printed edition?
Press Club Brussels Europe
As seen in
25 most popular instagram accounts in Belgium

Views & opinions expressed across this website are solely that of the authors and contributors themselves and may not reflect the position of WeLoveBrussels. The editorial or publisher of WeLoveBrussels cannot be held responsible for expressed opinions or unintended errors and oversights if any.

Get our periodical updates. Zero spam.

Instagram 56K Followers
Facebook 57K Followers
Twitter 10K Followers
WeLoveBrussels
  • Our story & more
  • Get in Touch
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal notice
Brussels Inspiration Bureau. Your guide to city life, culture, business, travel, Brussels events agenda & cultural diplomacy.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT