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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nToday\u2019s discussions focus on major policy priorities affecting architects throughout Europe. Through collaboration and knowledge exchange, participants are reinforcing the essential role of architecture in creating a high-quality, sustainable built environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About the Royale Belge <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Royale Belge building is a fine example of 1960s corporate architecture in Brussels, Belgium. After being completely abandoned in 2017, the building was in a state of extensive disrepair. In 2018, the city of Brussels granted a consortium of investors,\u00a0Souverain 25<\/strong>, permission to renovate the building. In 2019, the building and its surrounding grounds were granted regional heritage protection. The city of Brussels and the new owners launched a design competition with a brief to reorganise the building and incorporate a mix of uses, including conference facilities, offices, co-working spaces, a hotel, a health club, and a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The winning design and adaptation project, now successfully completed, was a collaborative effort by the London-based\u00a0Caruso St John Architects<\/strong>, the Antwerp-based\u00a0Bovenbouw Architectuur<\/strong>, and the Brussels based\u00a0DDS+ Architects<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Metzger et Associ\u00e9s Architecture<\/strong>.\u00a0CIT Blaton<\/strong>\u00a0was the general contractor for the renovation of the building.\u00a0The project financing is entirely private and the developer is a consortium of four funding partners \u2013\u00a0Cores Development<\/strong>,\u00a0Urbicoon<\/strong>,\u00a0Foresite<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Ape<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Designed by the renowned Belgian architect Ren\u00e9 Stapels in collaboration with the French architect Pierre Dufau, the building was completed in 1970 as the headquarters of the Royale Belge insurance company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fa\u00e7ades, which were originally composed of large glass sections and Corten steel, were thermally substandard, at the end of their lifespan, and showed many leaks. The large glass fa\u00e7ade was still single-glazed, and this gave rise to condensation problems. The roofs and terraces were aged and had significant waterproofing issues. The technical equipment was outdated and entirely based on a fuel oil energy supply. The ACE General Assembly takes place today at the Royale Belge in Brussels, providing a key platform to help shape the future of the architectural profession across Europe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3692,"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"news-categories":[],"news-tags":[],"thematic-scope":[],"class_list":["post-3690","ace-news","type-ace-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ace-cae.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PHOTO-2026-04-24-09-31-34-1024x768.jpg\")
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