Opening nieuw gebouw Europese Investeringsbank (en)

BEI/08/40

Luxembourg, 2 June 2008

Inauguration of the EIB’s new building

[Graphic in PDF & Word format]

Today, 2 June 2008, the European Investment Bank (EIB) inaugurated its new building on a site next to its existing headquarters on the Kirchberg plateau in Luxembourg. Both restrained and innovative, and designed entirely with environmental considerations in mind, this building substantially increases the work space of the EIB, the EU’s financing institution, enabling it to accommodate the whole of its staff on a single campus.

The opening ceremony was graced by the presence of H.R.H the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, along with the Governors of the EIB, the EU’s Finance Ministers. Speakers included Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister and Finance Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Andrej Bajuk, Slovenia’s Finance Minister and current President of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, who together described the EIB’s ever-growing role in the process of European integration, highlighting the importance of its action to promote European projects and congratulating it on this architectural achievement.

In his address, EIB President Philippe Maystadt briefly enumerated the milestones in the institution’s history since its creation in 1958. He looked back on its establishment in the Place de Metz in Luxembourg in 1968, then the move in 1980 to its current headquarters in Kirchberg in a “modern” and “solidly constructed” building. Along with these still relevant criteria the President stressed the importance of “transparency” and “respect for the environment”. He recalled that the brief given to participants in the architects-designers competition at the launch of the new building project was to deliver a building that was unostentatious, functional, transparent and environmentally friendly, going on to say: “Now, what could characterise the EIB better as it celebrates its 50th anniversary than the combination of solidity symbolised by the West Building and the transparency of the East Building, along with the constant attention to environmental considerations?”

A building for the future

Environmental and energy concerns were key to the design of the building by the architect Christoph Ingenhoven (Düsseldorf) and its construction by CFE-Vinci (Brussels, Paris).

The glass shell enveloping the whole building makes maximum use of natural light. Winter gardens and atria provide thermal insulation and natural ventilation, keeping energy consumption and emissions to a minimum. The building complies with the most stringent environmental standards, even exceeding legal requirements. It is the first building in continental Europe and one of the first in the world to be awarded the UK’s BREEAM Bespoke “high environmental quality” certification with the rating “very good”.

In this way the building reflects the priorities of the EIB, which earmarks a substantial part of its lending for projects aimed at improving or protecting the environment and especially provides backing for projects that help to combat global warming.

The EIB’s new East Building is located at 98 boulevard Konrad Adenauer. Backing on to the “Bons Malades” valley, it forms a continuum with the Bank’s existing headquarters in the “North European District” of Kirchberg in Luxembourg. With its 72 500 m² of work space it can house up to 750 staff.

This ceremony marks the end of a three-year project drawing on the experience and know-how of 238 companies partnering the EIB, including first and foremost: Ingenhoven Architekten (Düsseldorf), Olivi & Rodrigues (Luxembourg), Soludec (Luxembourg), CFE-Vinci (Belgium/France), Jacobs France-Paul Wurth (France/Luxembourg) and Secolux (Luxembourg).

For further information about the building: (www.eib.org)

• - 

  “EIB New Building: Partners and Key Facts and Figures”
• - 

  “EIB East Building: A building for the future” (feature story)
• - 

  “The EIB Group’s New Building: Internal climate and environment” (publication)

EIB New Building:

Partners and Key Facts and Figures

[ Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED ]

Partners and procedure for attributing tenders

In 2002, an international anonymous competition for architects/designers was launched by the European Investment Bank with Mr. Ricardo Bofill (Spain) as the president of the Jury. The competition was won by German architects, Ingenhoven Architekten from Düsseldorf in association with Werner Sobek Ingenieure, Stuttgart for the structure. DS-Plan, Stuttgart for the facade plans and the building’s physical aspects; HL Technik / IC-Consult / Pbe-Beljuli Planungsgesellschaft mbH / S+E Consult for the technical engineering.

A joint venture between Jacobs France and Paul Wurth Luxembourg has been responsible for the project management.

Secolux has been responsible for technical control.

The contract to undertake the building’s construction was attributed in 2005 to JV CFE / VINCI a joint venture between VINCI Grands Projets (France) and CFE (Belgium).

The call for tenders for these contracts were handled according to community directives and published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Deals were attributed according to selection criteria established in advance by multidisciplinary panels composed of representatives from many nationalities.

A specific EIB Task Force has ensured overall control of the project, with periodic control from the EIB’s internal audit group.

New Building Key Facts and Figures

The new building presents the following characteristics:

• - 

  Ten levels
• - 

  Approximate dimensions: 170 metres long, 50 metres wide and 22 metres high
• - 

  Gross global floor surface: approximately 72 500 m², of which 40 500 m² above ground level
• - 

  Working space for 750 people
• - 

  The new East building’s main entrance is on level 4, the main connection with the present West building is on level 3
• - 

  A central cafeteria and restaurant serve the entire EIB campus, both the new East building and existing West building

EIB East Building: A building for the future

[ Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED ]

The European Investment Bank’s activities have grown substantially during its fifty years of existence. At the end of 2007, the EIB Group employed 1,590 permanent staff members who handle the ever-increasing demand for funding in the 27 EU Member States and 173 partner countries. The EIB’s existing building, where the Bank took up residency in 1980, was designed to accommodate a maximum of 800 people. The building was extended in the early 1990s to make room for 300 additional staff members, but the EIB has continued to grow in line with an expanding EU.

In 2001, an architectural brief was drawn up for a building situated beside the existing EIB headquarters to accommodate the entire EIB Group, including EIB and European Investment Fund staff currently housed separately in rented accommodation in Luxembourg. The EIB’s role focuses increasingly on promoting openness in its activities and protecting the environment. So too do the design goals of the Bank’s new building. The international tenders for the new building called for innovative architecture which marries two key elements – transparency and ecology.

EIB through a looking-glass

An elegant glass building proposed by Ingenhoven Architekten began construction by a CFE/VINCI joint venture in 2005 and has now risen to life on the Kirchberg plateau. Passers-by are able to look directly into the EIB through its double-glazed, thermal-isolating façade. The transparency of the new glasshouse complements and completes with the existing low, cruciform building which was designed by the Denys Lasdun Partnership in 1974 as a testament to the EIB’s solidity.

The wave-shaped East building, as it is to be known, has a surface area of 72,500m² spread over 10 stories, three of which are above ground on the valley side and underground on the boulevard side. The 11,000m² doubled layer glass façade stands 35m high, 170m long and is suspended from specially designed, curved, steel beams. Offices to accommodate up to 750 staff are laid-out in zigzag wings, accessible by walkways, bridges, stairs and lifts.

Designing an ecological first-in-class

While the transparent and accessible nature of the EIB’s East building is noteworthy, it is perhaps the ecological features of the Ingenhoven building that make it stand out as a building for the future.

Environmental considerations have been at the forefront of the construction process. The East building boasts natural lighting and ventilation. Thanks to the innovative ecological design concept, the new EIB building in Luxembourg is the first non-UK building in continental Europe to obtain a Bespoke Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM)^[1] certification of “very good” for its green credentials.

A building that breathes

An outstanding feature of the new building is the use of natural and centrally monitored climatic control zones. Large atria and winter gardens act as the building’s lungs and are situated under the building’s tubular glass shell which protects against adverse weather conditions. The winter gardens overlook the valley on the north face of the Kirchberg plateau and are neither heated nor cooled. The carefully selected insulated glass maintains the winter gardens at higher temperatures than outside in cold months. In hot summer months a natural ventilation system creates airflow from the gardens’ lower areas to upper vents.

The south-oriented boulevard facing atria will be permanently used by staff and visitors. Here, heat and ventilation is controlled more carefully than in the winter gardens. Radiant floor heating, induction unit and solar protection sails ensure constant temperatures.

The office spaces are sandwiched between these central climatic areas. The heating environment in the working spaces needs only to be adjusted relative to temperatures in the public zones, not outside temperatures. Offices remain at 21ºC with the possibility of a +/-3ºC individual variation provided by floor induction units and the central ventilation system. The East building also benefits from a cooling system which pumps night air around the structure and passes cold water through the concrete floor slabs.

Energy efficiency is a top priority for the EIB’s lending activities and the Bank put this policy into practice with lighting which minimises energy consumption. Modern lighting technology reduces brightness in office areas, while staff can use individual desk lamps.

Operations commence in the East building

Ultimately, the EIB’s new East building is a work space which should be both functional and enjoyed by staff and visitors alike. A central restaurant and cafeteria serve the whole EIB campus. These spaces will be a meeting point between the East and West buildings.

The move into the new building for EIB staff starts in the coming months and by the end of 2008 the EIB’s extended Kirchberg campus will be fully operational.

^[1] BREEAM Certification is recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).