In Belval Luxembourg, ICÔNE, the Foster + Partners-designed office development has broken ground. Tackling the future of workspace, the design generates flexible layouts and addresses the current tendencies for safe working environments.
Located in an industrial area, the 18,800 square-meter office building, ICÔNE, reinterprets the local heritage and regenerates the surroundings. In fact, the project is “an integral part of the larger masterplan for the area […] the scheme relates to its neighboring buildings and addresses the different characteristics of the principal axes to the east and west”.
Designed by Foster + Partners, in collaboration with local practice Beiler Francois Fritsch, ICÔNE advocates for co-creation and collaboration. Filled with light and greenery, the office building is composed of two wings around a central atrium. The structure is wrapped by an orthogonal façade and roof, unifying the industrial look and emphasizing the structural grid. Fluid interior spaces contrast with the rigid and formal exterior look.
With an open circulation in the atrium, internal spaces become more vibrant and animated. Communal terraces engender informal meetings and break out spaces at higher levels overlook the central volume. A series of stepped terraces resolve the level changes between the street and the plaza.
Articulated around the urban street and civic plaza, the entrances of the structure are directly linked to the context. Actually, along Porte de France, the building contains shops, while the Place de l'Académie’s facade is complemented by cafés and restaurants on the ground floor.
Aiming for a BREEAM Excellent rating and a WELL Building Standard® certification, the building introduces active and passive sustainability measures. “The façade is both structural and environmentally responsive, providing an integrated solution which allows for internal column-free office spaces as well as solar shading and maximized internal daylight”. Some of the implemented strategies are:
- District heating and chilled ceiling system with exposed structural slabs
- Self-shading facade at a depth of 1.35m
- Use of concrete throughout the project for high thermal mass
- Exposed soffits combined with chilled ceiling system allowing for more even radiant temperature with lower cooling/heating demand
- Green roofs used as suds (sustainable urban drainage system)
- Water recycled for greywater
- Green internal social spaces with trees and planting within atria
- Maximized daylight
- Open-able windows
The project is designed to have open, flexible workspaces that respond to the emerging models of work today. The atrium is a green light-filled space that is very much the social heart of the project, providing visual connectivity and a dynamic atmosphere for both work and play. Biophilia, the green landscaping, natural ventilation and visual connectivity all promoting collaboration and healthy wellbeing. -- Darron Haylock, Partner, Foster + Partners
- Client: BESIX RED Luxembourg
- Architect: Foster + Partners
- Collaborating Architect: Beiler François Fritsch
- Structural Engineers: NEY
- Mechanical Engineers: Greisch Luxembourg
- Cost Consultant: Q-Build Luxembourg
- Masterplan Landscaping: MDP
- Lighting Consultant: Greisch Luxembourg
- Acoustic Consultant: Tom Vandervorst, Venac
- Contractor: Wust / Lux TP
- Site Area: 5,500 m2
- Gross Area: 18,900 m2
- Number of Floors: 6
- Building Dimensions: Height: 30 m, Length: 81 m, Width: 56.7 m
- Capacity: 1,200 population
- Parking facilities: Cars: 270, Bicycles: 250, Motorbikes: 30, Disabled spaces: 8
