BRUSSELS (Zaventem)/New NATO headquarters

- Description: The NATO Headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, is the political headquarters of the Alliance and the permanent home of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's senior political decision-making body.
The new HQ will be gigantic:120.000 m2 and will be completed in 2012
Also check: http://www.assar.com/assar2/current.php and http://www.som.com/content.cfm/international_treaty_organization_headquarters
- Cost: 300 million euro
- Design: Skidmore, Owings & Merill assisted by Assar
progress: preparatory work is being carried out. An old airport is being demolished to make way for the new complex.

Renders:

http://www.nato.int/events/270306_newhq/images/001.jpg

http://www.nato.int/events/270306_newhq/images/002.jpg

http://www.nato.int/events/270306_newhq/images/003.jpg

http://www.nato.int/events/270306_newhq/images/004.jpg

http://www.nato.int/events/270306_newhq/images/006.jpg

http://www.nato.int/events/270306_newhq/images/008.jpg

http://www.nato.int/events/270306_newhq/images/009.jpg

sick

demolition has been completed, so construction can start :banana:

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5637/p1010124mi4.jpg

The location:

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/9224/nato2og0.jpg

an article in French:

Otan : le nouveau siège fin prêt en 2013

Feu vert pour la construction du nouveau siège de l'Otan : les derniers permis ont été délivrés. Les travaux débuteront en septembre 2009. L'embellie des relations entre la Belgique et l'Otan se confirme.

Vingt jours, à peine, ont passé depuis l'accession du CD & V Yves Leterme au "16" et, déjà, les gages de bonne volonté "atlantiste" donnés par la Belgique se multiplient. Ainsi, après la confirmation de l'envoi de militaires supplémentaires - et d'avions de combat F-16 - dans le Sud afghan (à Kandahar), il apparaît que le gouvernement belge - en particulier le ministre de la Défense Pieter De Crem (CD & V), son collègue des Affaires étrangères Karel De Gucht (Open VLD) et le Premier ministre Leterme - redouble d'ardeur afin de permettre à l'Otan d'intégrer son nouveau siège dès 2013.

La maquette du projet du nouveau siège de l'Otan a été officiellement présentée aux instances dirigeantes de l'Otan lors du sommet de Bucarest la semaine dernière. Le siège de l'Otan est actuellement installé sur un site d'une trentaine d'hectares à Evere (Bruxelles). Les bâtiments avaient été construits en toute hâte à la fin des années 60 lorsque la Belgique avait décidé d'accueillir l'Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord après le retrait de la France de la structure militaire.

Les bâtiments, dont certains en préfabriqué (!) ont vieilli et ne correspondent plus du tout aux normes de sécurité actuelle de l'Otan. Or sur le trottoir d'en face, Boulevard Léopold III (là on est à Bruxelles, un avantage aux dires des responsables de l'Otan), se trouvait l'actuel quartier Roi Albert de la Force aérienne belge qui devait précisément fermer ses portes en 2008 suite à la restructuration de l'armée belge.

"Pas de problème"

Le choix du bâtiment a été opéré par l'Otan, qui est maître de l'ouvrage. L'Otan payera la construction du bâtiment tandis que l'Etat belge offre le terrain. Le budget global s'élève à 1,4 milliard d'euros. Les négociations ont été menées avec la Ville de Bruxelles et la Région bruxelloise. Les derniers permis nécessaires ont été accordés récemment. Reste quelques détails à régler concernant la "mainmorte" avec la Région bruxelloise. Mais "ces derniers points ne devraient pas poser de problème", confirme une source bien informée.

L'Otan avait lancé un concours international d'architecture pour la présentation : ce concours a été remporté par un consortium international de bureaux d'études : SOM Inc (Etats-Unis), SOM LLP (Royaume-Uni), Assar SCRL, ingénieurs associés SA et VK Engineering. Le cahier des charges sera finalisé au cours des mois de septembre-octobre 2008. Et les travaux devraient débuter en septembre 2009. L'inauguration officielle des nouveaux bâtiments est prévue en 2013.

"Délocaliser" à Bonn...

L'élargissement de l'Otan à de nouveaux membres en provenance des pays d'Europe de l'Est imposait le déménagement de siège : l'arrivée à court et à moyen terme de nouvelles délégations rendait les bâtiments actuels beaucoup trop exigus.

Un temps très mauvaises, lorsque la Belgique s'opposa à la guerre en Irak, les relations entre Bruxelles et Washington connaissent une embellie spectaculaire depuis l'accession au gouvernement fédéral du CD & V. Au pire de la "crise" belgo-américaine, Washington avait émis l'idée de "délocaliser" le siège de l'Otan à Bonn, dans l'ancienne capitale de la République fédérale allemande - un moyen d'infléchir la politique belge vis-à-vis de l'Otan.

Le retour au premier plan des "Atlantistes" du CD & V, le Premier ministre Yves Leterme et le ministre de la Défense Pieter De Crem en tête, est particulièrement bien vu à Washington - et à l'Otan.

The most important points in the article:

- Construction of the building itself starts at the end of next year and will be finished in 2013
- The new building is necessary because the old '60s buildings are falling apart. Apparently some of the old buildings were prefab and are extremely outdated.
- The total cost of the project is apparently 1.4 billion euro. This huge investment confirms the tie between Brussels and NATO, and ensures the future of the Alliance using Brussels as its HQ.
- There was an international architecture contest, blabla (read post 1)
- The last paragraph recalls the troubled relationship between Belgium and the US a few years ago, when Belgium opposed the war in Iraq. Bush threatened to move NATO to Bonn if the Belgians didn't change their attitude.

BTW: I'm a little disappointed about the lack of response so far, seeing how this is the new HQ for the second most important international political organisation...

Wow! This building is huge.:nuts: Why don't they build a nice skyscraper to house all this office space?

And where in Brussels is it located? That aereal shows something that looks like a industrial area, or am I wrong?

Edit: sorry, I didn't read it well, it's located on an old airport.

Looks like airportterminals or something. Groundscrapers.

Why don't they build a nice skyscraper to house all this office space?

because NATO is a great target for terrorists, it would be a bit cautionless to build a 200m scraper...

I don't understand why it's in Brussels

I don't understand why it's in Brussels
Brussels is the capital of Europe.

Brussels is the capital of Europe.

Correction: Brussels is the capital of the European Union. Europe isn't one country, therefore the "capital" is different from the normal conception of capital.

A nice building for a bad institution. All NATO is good for now is gobbling up former Soviet Republics to surround Russia and get control of the oil in Central Asia.

Looks really modern. :) Nice.

really nice:) it looks very very modern.

Quite a few war mongers will fit in that.

Seems interesting - but what about the budget?!? 300 million euro for a 120.000 m2 building?!? Seems a bit underbudgeted.

A Huge bunker surrounded by parking lots... Must be a great place to visit when finished... :ohno:

But at least the design look OK, not that special though.

Seems interesting - but what about the budget?!? 300 million euro for a 120.000 m2 building?!? Seems a bit underbudgeted.

that was the first number, but it seems now they count on spending 1.4 billion euro, for the entire project, that is (building, parking lots, roads surroundings,...)

that was the first number, but it seems now they count on spending 1.4 billion euro, for the entire project, that is (building, parking lots, roads surroundings,...)

That seems a bit more realistic:)

some slightly different renders:

]http://www.fotosop.nl/files/thumb_big_200805221703131232951173.jpg (http://www.fotosop.nl/mijn_fotos.html?show=123295117320080522170313&pic=200805221703131232951173.jpg)
http://www.fotosop.nl/files/thumb_big_200805221703141979804125.jpg (http://www.fotosop.nl/mijn_fotos.html?show=123295117320080522170313&pic=200805221703141979804125.jpg)
http://www.fotosop.nl/files/thumb_big_20080522170314435774851.jpg (http://www.fotosop.nl/mijn_fotos.html?show=123295117320080522170313&pic=20080522170314435774851.jpg)
http://www.fotosop.nl/files/thumb_big_200805221703141432499673.jpg (http://www.fotosop.nl/mijn_fotos.html?show=123295117320080522170313&pic=200805221703141432499673.jpg)
http://www.fotosop.nl/files/thumb_big_2008052217031598781260.jpg (http://www.fotosop.nl/mijn_fotos.html?show=123295117320080522170313&pic=2008052217031598781260.jpg)

Meanwhile, the site is cleared I think...

^^Thanks for the update - not really sure though, that I am on to this project.

why so big?

Take the UN while your at it so the USA does not have to show you good hospitality so you can bitch us out some more. There both outdated organizations with no powers.

One a second note, i love the building design.

A nice building for a bad institution. All NATO is good for now is gobbling up former Soviet Republics to surround Russia and get control of the oil in Central Asia.

And you have a problem with this? Would you rather return to the Cold War?

Take the UN while your at it so the USA does not have to show you good hospitality so you can bitch us out some more. There both outdated organizations with no powers.

They have no military power, but they're still usefull. For example the Burmese government allows UN aid now after the visit of UN chairman Ban Ki Moon.

And we would be glad to have the UN as well, seeing how all these institutions really boost the Brussels economy:)

^^ In your dream babe,The Un in here to stay in N/Y ,this Trick doesn't belong to you It's ours :lol:

Correction: Brussels is the capital of the European Union. Europe isn't one country, therefore the "capital" is different from the normal conception of capital.

It's not even the capital of the EU, the EU has no capital. It's just the city where most of the EU institutions are based. (It still is the Belgian capital though, that's got to count for something, right? ;-)

As far as I know the Brussels HQ is the political HQ for nato, whilst the european military HQ is called SHAPE, located in in Mons (also in Belgium). Is this new building supposed to merge the two institutions, or will they remain separate?

^^ In your dream babe,The Un in here to stay in N/Y ,this Trick doesn't belong to you It's ours :lol:

We ought to let them have it! Then they could worry about all the security problems and associated costs. They could also figure out how to collect all the money owed for parking tickets that New York somehow can't collect. :bash:

I don't understand why it's in Brussels

It was in Paris, before. But when France left the NATO in 1966, the Belgium gouverment offered to host the NATO on a site in Brussels. There, a temporary construction was build (very hastely). This temporary building (s) is used until today, so a new building was really needed.
For a while, the usa treatened to move the NATO headquarters to Poland, because Belgium was opposed to the war in Iraq. The American gouverment was not very amused with the attitude of the Belgium gouverment. They expect Nato members to obey the USA and to kiss the balls of the president. Poland seemed to be more willing to do what the USA tells them to. But with this new headquarters being build, this is not an issue any more.
(The USA still doesn't like countries with a different opinion, but this will probably change with the next president)

(The USA still doesn't like countries with a different opinion, but this will probably change with the next president)

^^Hopefully not, we always bend over backwards to help other countries yet they never help us. Finally during the last few years our government has had the guts to put pressure on our Allies. Hopefully our next president will continue this philosophy.

^^Hopefully not, we always bend over backwards to help other countries yet they never help us. Finally during the last few years our government has had the guts to put pressure on our Allies. Hopefully our next president will continue this philosophy.

Eh? You mean like when you 'helped' during WWII by 'providing' artillery for the British, but actually got us into huge debt?

Love it!

Is Zaventem the district nearby the international airport?

^^Hopefully not, we always bend over backwards to help other countries yet they never help us. Finally during the last few years our government has had the guts to put pressure on our Allies. Hopefully our next president will continue this philosophy.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

I'm sure the Iraqi/Afghan/Palestinian/Cuban/Colombian/Etcetc people appreciate it

^^Love it!

Is Zaventem the district nearby the international airport?

yes the national airport is in Zaventem

Everybody just drop this discussion before it gets out of hand.It is OT and If you wish to continue the discussion, remember you can talk to each other through private messages.

this building looks awesome

A really big building :)

Love it!

Is Zaventem the district nearby the international airport?

This Nato building will not at all be build in Zaventem, but in Evere. It's near Zaventem but not in it.

Looks pretty interesting but I don't like all the parking lots surrounding it and the area where it's gonna be also looks really boring.

it looks very cold,especially the interior reminds me of some hollywood movies taking part in 2150 under totalitarian rule and bla bla bla....

Both institutes are out dated.

The building looks nice and huge. Maybe some politicians want to have a huge building having in sight a possible need to replace NATO with an EU army HQ :tongue4:

nice buildings! It would be a shame to blow them up, right? :shifty:

beautiful

NATO? No Action Talk Only

Wow, it looks like amazing

what exactly does NATO do?

what exactly does NATO do?

They're active in Afghanistan (the whole war in Afghanistan is a NATO operation) Iraq, Darfur and the Balkan region. They also provide humanitarian aid during earthquakes, floods etc because they can mobilize forces and deliver aid faster than the UN can.

I'm not saying that these tasks couldn't be done by another organisation, not defending NATO at all, just saying that the people in the NATO HQ are not just sitting around doing nothing all day.

double post

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr328/Bazar_01/NATO.jpg

who is paying for all of this

It seems vulnerable when you see the building from the outside. It seems like it's all glass cladding and no bunker-like area to protect it from bomb blast nor nuclear attack. I wonder how's the protection inside?

I don't think thatj, when it comes to a nuclear blast, it matters a whole lot whether the cladding is glass, stone or something else...

Nice building
It will be better to build an Hospital like that and not HQ for some war machinery
:ohno::ohno::ohno:

Nice building
It will be better to build an Hospital like that and not HQ for some war machinery
:ohno::ohno::ohno:
Belgium has a lot of big hospitals, building another one isn't solving the problem of old NATO buildings :p
Really, whats your point?


and America helping other countries... ha! Yeah, they are defenetly helping Europe in this crisis...

My point is that you do not need new Nato building...
oh... never mind, cool building.

http://www.som.com/resources/content/5/0/4/3/7/8/6/4/images/001_21608232.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/content/5/0/4/3/7/8/6/4/images/002_21608231.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/content/5/0/4/3/7/8/6/4/images/003_21608234.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/content/5/0/4/3/7/8/6/4/images/004_21608235.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/content/5/0/4/3/7/8/6/4/images/005_21608233.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/content/5/0/4/3/7/8/6/4/images/006_21608237.jpg

Long time, no news - what's happening?

Long time, no news - what's happening?

According to this (http://trends.rnews.be/nl/economie/nieuws/immo/bam-alliance-biedt-scherpste-prijs-voor-navo-hoofdkwartier/article-1194657628997.htm) article in a Flemish magazine, published february 3rd 2010, building should start this year, and the whole thing should cost 450 million euros.

Ugly building! A pack of garages... So, they decided that Poland is way too close to Russia to place a headquarters there?

Long time, no news - what's happening?

16 Dec. 2010

New NATO headquarters ground-breaking ceremony
The NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, will attend a ground-breaking ceremony on the site of the new NATO Headquarters on Thursday 16 December 2010. The Secretary General will deliver short remarks and will, together with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Mr. Yves Leterme, unveil a commemorative plaque.

Details available from the Belgian Ministry of Defence (see Links box on the right for details). Accreditation for interested media is handled by the Belgian hosts.


Everything is ready to get started:
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8594/natohq.jpg
(Google Earth)

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/9206/natonew.jpg

Video of the new HQ, it will be the biggest single building in Belgium: http://www.nato.int/structur/tenders/newhq3/video/080401-newHQ.wmv

Bah we are losing the war on Afganistan and we making a new headquarters.


About Brussels to me is the capital of my federal country EU this crisis is showing us that or we sickt toghter or we will be like africa soon. .

Brussels is in a perfect location as it's situated among Germany, France and the UK. Peace out :yes:

the model of the NATO Headquarters:

op de website van De Morgen een fotootje van de maquette:

http://www.demorgen.be/static/FOTO/pe/12/7/10/album_large_3980455.jpg


recent pictures:

Update vandaag, zondag 2 januari:

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2339/dsc03041n.jpg

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/4807/dsc03042n.jpg

Everything in place to start the works for what shall be the largest building in Belgium!

Bah we are losing the war on Afganistan and we making a new headquarters.


About Brussels to me is the capital of my federal country EU this crisis is showing us that or we sickt toghter or we will be like africa soon. .

Brussels has always been the capital of the EU. It's stratigic because it's in the center of the EU, and because if a large country, like Germany, has the capital of the EU, France en the UK would be jalous

You both don't make any sense. Do you both know anything about NATO?

I think this one can go to UC now.

UPDATE:

The winterstop is over :)

Cranes are in place

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k564/bazar_022/IMAG0125.jpg

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k564/bazar_022/IMAG0118.jpg

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k564/bazar_022/IMAG0119.jpg

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k564/bazar_022/IMAG0120.jpg

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k564/bazar_022/IMAG0121.jpg

Tunnel being build on the Leopold III lane.
http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k564/bazar_022/IMAG0122.jpg

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k564/bazar_022/IMAG0123.jpg

New entrance, Chaussée de Haecht, Haachtsesteenweg, B-1130 BRUSSELS (in front of the Belgian Road Safety Institute)

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/8917/dsc00463e.jpg

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/1160/dsc00464q.jpg

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/523/dsc00465h.jpg

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/7854/dsc00467mn.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3396/dsc00466bv.jpg

Main Entrance Side

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2631/dsc00478nm.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/417/dsc00479l.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4010/dsc00480bx.jpg

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/8265/dsc00482dl.jpg

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/6835/dsc00483ou.jpg

Important Road works, including a tunnel

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/4527/dsc00468q.jpg

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/8341/dsc00469o.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/4239/dsc00470c.jpg

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/3251/dsc00471k.jpg

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/1706/dsc00472qm.jpg

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/9084/dsc00473mo.jpg

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/9413/dsc00474f.jpg

On this picture, the current NATO HQ
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/5374/dsc00475gv.jpg

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4582/dsc00476yr.jpg

Direction Brussels Airport
http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/1829/dsc00477m.jpg

Brussels is the capital of Europe.

Europe isn't a country for the less i know.
Brussels is a cumulation of offices , restaurants for bureaucracy

It is the administrative capital of european union.

And franlky despite it is a pretty city its power is nothing without france+germany axe.

Europe isn't a country for the less i know.

Brussels is a cumulation of offices , restaurants for bureaucracy
It is the administrative capital of european union.
And franlky despite it is a pretty city its power is nothing without france+germany axe.

So you think you need a country in order to use the term 'capital'? lol.
read (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital).

administrative capital

nothing else

So you think you need a country in order to use the term 'capital'? lol.
read (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital).

It's not the capital, it's the seat for some of the EU institutions (mainly commission and council of the EU, and part of the parliament) there are EU intsitutions in Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Strassbourg as well. The EU has never chosen a capital city. You wouldn't call New York City the capital of the world just because it houses the UN headquarters either.
It's a fun place to live though, and it's a shame that the EU's and NATO's bureaucratic reputation give Brussels a boring image.

Can someone change the status to U/C please?

Interasting. It is built in Brussels because Brussels will be the future capital of the United States Of Europe? Right?

The NATO headquarters used to be in Paris, untill Charles de Gaulle withdrew the French membership of the NATO military command and basically kicked them out of the country. Another city needed to be found, Belgium proposed Brussels, nobody objected, et voilla that's why they're here. It has nothing to do with the EU.

http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2007/issue2/english/history.html

nice project

can´t wait to see when it´s done!:cheers:

This is the old headquarters in Brussels btw. So it's not like it's new in Brussels like some of you like to believe. They are just getting a new building...

http://s1.gva.be/ahimgpath/assets_img_gvl/2010/06/11/1143078/navo-wil-duizenden-banen-schappen-ook-in-evere-id1229677-460x0.jpg
http://s1.gva.be/ahimgpath/assets_img_gvl/2010/06/11/1143078/navo-wil-duizenden-banen-schappen-ook-in-evere-id1229677-460x0.jpg

http://s1.gva.be/ahimgpath/assets_img_gvl/2010/06/11/1143078/navo-wil-duizenden-banen-schappen-ook-in-evere-id1229677-460x0.jpg
http://s1.gva.be/ahimgpath/assets_img_gvl/2010/06/11/1143078/navo-wil-duizenden-banen-schappen-ook-in-evere-id1229677-460x0.jpg


^^Ugly boxes.

^^Yea well, it's functional I guess. The pentagon os equally ugly in my eyes.

Great project.

^^Ugly boxes.

And these buildings are actually being renovated. It might become the new Belgian Defense HQ when NATO leaves it. Now Belgian Defense HQ is located in the backyard of NATO.

3D Animation of the complex, which will be huge. The central hallway is spectacular!

6ucU_8BblwU




Btw: This project is under construction, not proposed, who do I contact to change this?

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg19/scaled.php?server=19&filename=dsc00538dw.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg19/scaled.php?server=19&filename=dsc00538dw.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg853/scaled.php?server=853&filename=dsc00539gv.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg831/scaled.php?server=831&filename=dsc00540jw.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg821/scaled.php?server=821&filename=dsc00541h.jpg&res=medium

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/1228/dsc00888f.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1971/dsc00887nz.jpg

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1508/dsc00886jn.jpg

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/1003/dsc00885ac.jpg

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/715/dsc00884bj.jpg

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/8914/dsc00883nu.jpg

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/141/dsc00882bg.jpg

loads of progress:

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8691/imag0917x.jpg

It's going fast now!

It would be better if there where more updates here.

^^
16/11/2012

The last pics that were made. Afther that came the winterstop I think and now it's to cold to build I guess. The area is far from near central Brussels that's why not many go to update on this project.
Also pics from closer up are harder because ofcourse NATO area is heavely garded and off-limits to persons that don't belong there. At least the old buildings are heavely garded. I don't know about these new, in the future they will be though.

Update 16/11/2012

http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/5889/imag1005.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3642/imag1004.jpg

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/5571/imag1003b.jpg