OMA to add horizontal headquarters for National Railway Company of Belgium​​​

The new and old buildings will have a total area of 75,000 m2, which is divided into three formal zones — the public Front-Office, the Mid-Office, and the Back-Office, OMA explains. 

The street-facing public Front-Office features a three-story entrance lobby, as well as retail spaces and visible access points that make the street more appealing to passers-by. Located in the former Tri Postal building, the Mid-Office will have conference and training rooms, a 200-seat auditorium, fitness center, and restaurant. The Back-Office occupies the two former office buildings and the new HQ. Rooftop gardens will be “quilted across” each of the three original buildings, OMA says. 

OMA draws from the “cross-characterful elements” of the existing buildings in their design of the SNCB headquarters. At 236 by 19 meters, the new building features a “sheer, cliff-like” facade with “un-fritted portholes”. The facade also offers passers-by a glimpse into the interior to convey a sense of transparency and openness to the public. “There is no back to the building in conventional terms [...] Two faces, two aspects”, OMA adds. “The project aims to effect a sublime contrast between the old, and the not yet old. It proposes an expansion of the original ensemble”.

Find project drawings in the gallery below.