OMA, together with Jaspers-Eyers Architects, has won a competition to design the new headquarters of the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) in Brussels. 

Led by OMA's Partner Reinier de Graaf, the front façade of the building acts as "a geological impression in scale" at once with its "sheer and cliff-like appearance" which is "rendered particulate by the articulation of un-fritted portholes," according to the architect. 

The new SNCB office space contains conference and training rooms, a fitness center, a restaurant, and rooftop gardens on the existing buildings.

Image © OMA

Covering a total area of 75,000 square meters, the project will bring together all SNCB’ departments under the same roof, creating work space for 4,000 employees.

OMA’s new building preserves the ensemble of three monumental buildings of the Brussels-South train station along the Fonsny Avenue adding a 11-story, 236-meter long new volume facing the rail tracks. The interaction between the existing buildings, inaugurated on the occasion of the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, and the addition is an expression of Brussels’ double nature. 

Image © OMA

"It embraces the Belgian Brussels, with its early, and often courageous expressions of modern architecture, and the European Brussels, for which the European railway and the Brussels-South stand as symbols," said Reinier de Graaf.

At street level, a three-story entrance lobby, retail spaces and visible access points to the rail tracks improve the street’s appeal to the passer-by, in line with the municipality’s strategy to inject new life into the neighborhood. On the side of the rail tracks, the façade reveals the diversity of activities within the new building – a move to convey the openness and transparency of the organization to the public it serves.

Image © Luxigon, copyright OMA

"At 236 by 19 meters in plan, the new volume maintains the horizontal thrust of the original in its bearing to the tracks. At once geological in scale, the building is impressionistic in its effects – the sheer, cliff-like façade is rendered particulate by the articulation of un-fritted portholes," added Reinier de Graaf. 

"In its openness to the tracks, the building offers a playful disclosure of its inner workings – a move to convey the transparency of the organization to the public it serves." 

Image © SLASHCUBE, courtesy of OMA

"There is no back to the building in conventional terms. In its address, it is full frontal. Two faces, two aspects. A serviceable analogy for the Janus-headed character of modern Brussels." 

"The project aims to effect a sublime contrast between the old, and the not yet old. It proposes an expansion of the original ensemble – making of the three, a little more than the sum of each, de Graaf explained. 

Image © SLASHCUBE, courtesy of OMA

The building is divided into three formal zones – from the public Front-Office through to the Back-Office, the preserve of the SNCB employees. 

The public Front-Office is communicated from the street through to the tracks, via a three-story entrance lobby. Retail spaces and visible access points improve the street’s appeal to the passer-by, in line with the municipality’s strategy to inject new life into the neighborhood. 

Image © SLASHCUBE, courtesy of OMA

The Mid-Office, situated in the former Tri Postal building, includes conference and training rooms, a 200-seat auditorium, a fitness center and a restaurant. 

The Back-Office areas occupy the two former office buildings and the new volume. Rooftop gardens are quilted across each of the three original buildings.

Image © Frans Parthesius, courtesy of OMA

OMA’s design is part of the preferred bid submitted by the consortium BESIX Group, BPC/BPI and Immobel. The competition was organized by SNCB.

Image © Frans Parthesius, courtesy of OMA

Image © Frans Parthesius, courtesy of OMA

Image © Frans Parthesius, courtesy of OMA

Image © OMA

Image © OMA

Image © OMA

Image © OMA

Image © OMA

Image © OMA

Image © OMA

The new headquarters of SNCB NMBS is OMA’s first large scale project in Belgium. The project was led by partner Reinier de Graaf together with associate and project architect Mark Veldman.

Project facts

Project: SNCB Headquarters
Status: Competition
Client: BESIX, BPC, Immobel
Address: Fonsny Avenue 47-49
Program: Office (including conference rooms, training rooms, auditorium, fitness center, restaurant) GFA: 75,000 sqm

Timeline: Competition start (2018), Competition result (2020)

Team

Partner: Reinier de Graaf 

Associate-in-Charge: Mark Veldman

Competition
Team: Yahya Abdullah, Claudio Araya, Valentin Bansac, Julian Beqiri, Jean-Baptiste Clot, Caterina Corsi, Paul Cournet, Agnieszka Dabek, Tianyi Huang, Marina Kounavi, Cyriac Levet, Nicholas Lin, Alice Loumeau, Chenhao Ma, Davide Masserini, Masumi Ogawa, Daan Ooievaar, Ana Otelea, Saskia Simon, Iason Stathatos, Xiaotang Tang, Yushang Zhang

Collaborators

Local Architect: Jaspers-Eyers & Partners MEP/BREEAM/Fire Safety: Boydens Engineering,CES Structure/stability: Bureau Greisch
NWOW: Möbius
Acoustics: Bureau de Fonseca
Façade engineering: BESIX
Heritage: Callebaut Architecten, Suzanne Fischer

Top image © Luxigon, copyright OMA

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