The One Brussels

Working and living in the heart of Brussels

Situated at the corner of the Rue de la Loi and the Chaussée d’Etterbeek, this project, named Brussels Europa, is a logical step in the redevelopment of the European Quarter. The project is ideally located for public transport (metro, bus, train) and fits into the urban fabric by creating a quality environment that makes coherent and dynamic use of the public space.

The mixed programme offers +/- 30,000 m² of office space, 97 residential units on a total of 9,000 m², and 900 m² of commercial space. In addition, it includes one of the entrances to the “Loi” public car park, a public stairway and a lift for persons of reduced mobility allowing access between the Rue de la Loi level and the Chaussée d’Etterbeek, but also access to the Malbeek metro station.

The main entrance to the residential building is on the southern side in Rue J. de Lalaing. The spacious lobby, with its large glass windows, gives access to the 20 floors which include residential units of various formats from studios to three-bedroom flats. The flats benefit from a southerly, westerly or easterly aspect and most have a balcony enjoying open views across the city.

The main entrance to the offices is in Rue de la Loi. The lobby is open on two floors and gives access, via the central distribution core, to the 22 office areas. Since they can be arranged as open-plan or modular, they are designed to be flexible, and they enjoy almost exclusively work spaces of the latest design.
The desire has been to provide office spaces enjoying the maximum amount of natural daylight while, at the same time, maintaining high energy-efficiency. This has led to the design of a building-envelope that can be adapted to each orientation. The result is a functional, “eco-logical” and energy-efficient façade.

The shops situated on the Chaussée d’Etterbeek and the Rue de Lalaing as well as along the “public walkway” on the west side help make the public spaces lively and friendly. The retail spaces, with their large glass windows, can be modularised and can be adapted to all types of format.

The sustainable-development objectives which were established the outset have meant that the project takes account of the need for the rational consumption of energy. This philosophy has been incorporated into the different constructional and technical aspects of the building resulting in office spaces that conform to the “passive building standard” and dwellings that conform, at the very least, to low-energy criteria.

Special attention has been paid to the impact of the aspect and the distribution of the spaces, to the performance of the thermal insulation and to the optimisation of natural lighting. The fixed solar protection screens, adapted to the orientation of the façades, give movement and character to the façades. For the offices, the solar protection screens are designed to reduce the amount of sun in summer and maximise the daylight factor, an important consideration in user comfort and in the reduction of energy-consumption for artificial lighting. These protection screens transform the appearance of the façades according to the viewpoint. Sometimes they appear to be totally open and sometimes totally closed according to the observer’s position and this appearance changes as the subject moves around the outside of the building. For the residential units, terraces and projecting balconies optimise the external appearance.

The quality of the technical equipment matches the demand for high performance that customers require. This means, amongst other things, for the offices: high-output condensing boilers, free-cooling, ventilation unit with double heat-recovery, use of rainwater for adiabatic cooling, and lighting adjustment according to the light levels, coupled to absence detectors. For the residential units, it means: high-output condensing boilers and heat-recovery ventilation units.

Location
Brussels

Region
Brussels

Status
Completed in 2018

Floor area
Offices 30.000 m²
Residential 9.000 m²
Retail 900 m²

Picture and photography
Philippe Van Gelooven
Simon Schmitt

Energy Level
Offices : Passive
Residential : Low energy – K < 30

Team
Client: The One Office SA – The One Estate SA
Architecture: B2Ai
Stability: B2Ai – SETESCO
Special Techniques: B2Ai – BOYDENS
Acoustics: B2Ai – ATS
Security coordination: B2Ai – ADVISERS
Wind study : Numflo
Asbestos removal + demolition company: DE MEUTER
Contractor: DE WAELE – VALENS

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