The European Investment Bank (EIB) – the financial institution that provides long-term public financing for projects in line with the European Union’s policy objectives – has chosen to expand its headquarters in Luxembourg with a third modern building that meets all sustainability criteria and reflects its values.
General contractor Rizzani de Eccher was awarded the contract for the construction of a new Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB), a project that has already received an ‘Excellent’ rating under the BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method).
The project will be built by Rizzani de Eccher in a joint venture with the Dutch Ballast Nedam group. Construction work started in August 2022 for an expected duration of three years.
Within the existing EIB complex located on the Kirchberg plateau, which consists of a first building dating back to the 1980s and a second from 2010, the new construction will enable the European Institution to locate all its staff in Luxembourg currently dispersed in decentralised offices in a single location. The new building, which will be constructed to high environmental standards, will have two basement floors, a 5-storey podium and a 17-storey tower, and will be sober, functional, efficient and flexible.
The structure will house 1500 modular workstations for employees and collaborators, a multi-purpose auditorium, a conference centre, a state-of-the-art trading room, a gymnasium, a bar and a restaurant. The design was entrusted to the Dutch design studio Mecanoo headed by architect Francine Houben. IDOM, a Spanish multinational and multidisciplinary architecture and engineering group with headquarters in Bilbao and experience in 125 countries, developed the construction engineering and will also supervise the works on behalf of the client, playing the institutional role of FIDIC Engineer.
As many as 2200 square metres of photovoltaic panels will be installed on the roof and some facades, capable of generating up to 374MWh per year. The building’s thermal envelope will ensure maximum energy efficiency and all energy sources will be renewable and certified. In terms of sustainable mobility, the building will be equipped with charging stations for electric cars (60 charging points on a total of 250 spaces, with the aim of converting the car parks to 100% electric in the next few years) and parking spaces for soft mobility (for about 180 bicycles and scooters).
