foster + partners fills ICÔNE workspaces with landscaped terraces in luxembourg

icône workspaces complete in belval

Foster + Partners celebrates the completion of its ICÔNE office complex in Belval, Luxembourg. Filled with light and greenery, the 18,800 square-meter office building is designed to encourage a spirit of co-creation and collaboration. The design team notes that its project addresses a future need for flexible and safe working environments, while referencing the city’s industrial heritage. The complex sees the revitalization of the area and is targeted to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.

‘We are delighted to celebrate the opening of this landmark project for Belval, which we began designing in 2016, well before the pandemic began,’ Darron Haylock, Partner, Foster + Partners, comments. ‘Covid has highlighted the need for healthier and more flexible urban workspaces, which is exactly what this project provides. The light-filled central atrium is the beating heart of the complex, promoting collaboration and enhancing employee wellbeing.’

images © Foster + Partners

reviving luxembourg’s industrial belval district

Foster + Partners introduces its ICÔNE workspace for Belval, a newly planned city quarter which merges research, education, leisure and commerce. The complex relates to the scale of neighboring buildings and addresses the different characteristics of the surrounding streets. Its entrances are articulated differently in response to Porte de France, the main urban street to the west and the Place de l’Académie to the East. New shops, cafés and restaurants will bring life to these entrance elevations at pedestrian level.

The project is designed in collaboration with local practice BFF architectes. It is organized between two wings which together enclose the central atrium — all wrapped by a gridded façade and roof which emphasize the building’s structural grid.

the terraced interiors by foster + partners

The building’s formal exterior stands in contrast with the fluidity of the internal space. Level changes between the street and the plaza are resolved through a series of stepping terraces navigating a light-filled atrium which create a spectacular arrival sequence. The open circulation adds to the vibrancy of the internal spaces, with communal green landscaped terraces for informal meetings and break out spaces at higher levels as part of a rich and varied whole.

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. The external façade benefits from a series of external green loggias, visible from both the inside and outside of the building.

‘As a forerunner in this field, ICÔNE is a ‘smart building’ dedicated to the wellbeing of its occupants,’ Geoffroy Bertrand, Country Director, BESIX RED Luxembourg says. ‘We have designed office space that encourages interactivity, creativity and performance, while adapting to the environmental requirements of tomorrow.’

project info:

project title: ICÔNE

architecture: Foster + Partners | @fosterandpartners

location: Belval, Luxembourg

local architects: BFF architectes | @bffarchitectes

previous coverage: June 2020