ICÔNE scheme occupies part of former steelworks site at Belval
Foster & Partners has finished an 18,800sq m office development on the site of a former steelworks in south-west Luxembourg.
The project, named ICÔNE, was designed in conjunction with local practice BFF architectes and is arranged as two wings enclosing a central atrium, wrapped by an orthogonal façade and a roof that emphasises the building’s structural grid and industrial setting.
Located at Belval, a stone’s throw from the French border, ICÔNE sits in the shadow of a preserved former blast furnace that stands as a monument to the site’s former use. The area is being redeveloped as a centre for research, education, leisure and commerce.
Fosters partner Darron Haylock said the firm had been working on the project – which is designed to boost wellbeing and creative collaboration – since 2016.
“Covid has highlighted the need for healthier and more flexible urban workspaces, which is exactly what this project provides,” he said.
“The light-filled central atrium is the beating heart of the complex, promoting collaboration and enhancing employee wellbeing.”
BFF partner Tom Beiler said ICÔNE was a unique building that responds to the nearby “beacon of history” the Haut Fourneau B furnace.
“During this exceptional and respectful collaboration with Foster & Partners, we were able to create a building with a pared-down design that embodies the industrial aesthetic to create a bright, transparent and relevant space,” he said.
Fosters said the building’s façade was both structural and environmentally responsive, providing an integrated solution that allows for internal column-free office spaces as well as solar shading and maximised internal daylight.
The external façade features from a series of green loggias, visible from both the inside and outside of the building.
Client for the scheme was BESIX RED Luxembourg.
No comments yet