51n4e, 2023

With its long, white-striped silhouette, the Victoria Tower has stood as a landmark in the Northern district since the late 1970s. Rather than rebuild this emblematic building, 51n4e took the ecological gamble of maximising the reuse of its original concrete and steel structure.

With its new skin modelled on the original striped pattern – the trademark of IBM, whose building was the Belgian headquarters – the tower is now multifunctional. It houses office and co-working spaces, as well as a hotel, café-restaurant and bar with a breathtaking view from the top. The building, once isolated from its surroundings, now communicates with the public space via outdoor terraces and an open ground floor topped by a large canopy, above which sits a high, generously glazed piano nobile.

Both the interior spaces and the façade have been designed to offer maximum flexibility in the event of programme changes, guaranteeing the longevity of the project, which thus becomes an example of the sustainable and respectful redeployment of a once mono-functional office tower.

→ Find out more about this project nominated for the Brussels Architecture Prize
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