The management of this new multi-tenant building was entrusted to Veamo PM.

Setting a new standard in the international office district of Brussels Airport is not an easy task, but with The Wings, a groundbreaking development is rising by 2023 that seems able to fulfill this steep ambition. The building program looks impressive: office space, a hotel, a fitness center, restaurants and co-working facilities spread over four 'quadrants' with a total surface of 51,400 m². Moreover, the complex can boast BREEAM Excellent, WELL Gold and DGNB Gold certification, a first for Belgium.

Ghelamco has a patent on groundbreaking developments with daring architecture. The Wings fits right into this picture, as the project perfectly balances work and well-being in a triple-A location. The site is located in Diegem, at a strategic junction near the airport, the Brussels Ring Road and a number of important traffic interchanges. The building connects to that specific context and provides space for high-quality office and residential functions, including the corresponding parking facilities. EY Belgium, for example, will house its new headquarters there, including its own business center, a company restaurant and parking with six hundred spaces. Other eye-catchers in the building program are a luxury hotel with 250 rooms and an international co-working space for expats. The remaining space is reserved for a large atrium and a communal auditorium, which together form the core of the complex.

Two axes, four quadrans

The project also seeks to connect with its surroundings in form and scale. Both the granularity of the surrounding fabric and the vast landscape scale of the nearby traffic infrastructure are reflected in the design. "Grateful use is made of the dual access to the site, both via Culliganlaan and Kouterveldstraat," says assar architects "The Wings is divided into four quadrants with varying building heights - two office volumes, the coworking space and the hotel - which are organized around an orthogonal system of axes. The level difference on the site, which is as much as 9 meters between the main entrances on Culligan Avenue and Kouterveldstraat (accounting for two floors), translates into a transverse green slope, while the longitudinal axis houses an "inner street" with collective functions and connects both access roads. Basically, the quadrants form one whole, but decrease in area on each floor, creating additional space for light and greenery. The specific orientation and stepped structure with roof gardens and terraces create an abundance of views, experiences and recognizable "own" places. This creates a fordable complex that provides an optimal response to the natural relief of the site and the scale of the buildings in the surrounding area."

Holistic sustainability approach

How to develop office, hotel and restaurant functions within a carbon-neutral ecosystem? That was the next issue assar architects had to solve in the design phase of this progressive project. After all, Ghelamco wanted to make The Wings the first certified CO2- and energy-neutral office environment in Belgium. "A holistic sustainability approach was adopted, with the intention of creating an exemplary ecosystem for decades to come," the architects explain. "The building itself generates the energy required for all internal activities and facilities without consuming any fossil fuel whatsoever. It also collects up to 420,000 gallons of rainwater for sanitary reuse and garden maintenance purposes, with the intensive green roofs and two large wadis acting as important buffers. All this earned the project triple certification: BREEAM Excellent, WELL Gold and DGNB Gold." In addition, of course, The Wings is also pleasing to the eye thanks to its organic design. "The facades have rounded corners and consist mainly of glass and horizontal sections in a preformed light gray sheet material. At night, the contours of the building are subtly illuminated by LED lines on the underside of the terraces. Combined with the many greenery on the site, this will give The Wings a unique appearance."

SOURCE: Bouwen aan Vlaanderen