Madou Plaza Tower

Infobox building
building_name = Madou Plaza Tower
native_building_name= Tour Madou Plaza (French)
Madoutoren (Dutch)

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caption = Madou viewed from Brussels Park
former_names =
building_type = Offices
architectural_style =
structural_system =
location = Brussels, Belgium
owner = European Commission
current_tenants =
landlord =
coordinates = coord|50|50|58|N|4|22|12|E|display=inline,title|type:landmark_region:BE
start_date =
completion_date = 1965
demolition_date =
height = 120m (building)
135m (antenna)
diameter =
other_dimensions =
floor_count = 33
floor_area = 40,0000m²
main_contractor = Herpain Entreprise s.a.
architect = Robert Goffaux
structural_engineer =
services_engineer =
civil_engineer =
other_designers =
quantity_surveyor =
awards = MIPIM 2006 (refurbished office buildings)

Madou Plaza Tower is a high-rise building in Brussels (Belgium). It was built in 1965 and renovated between 2002 and 2006 and taken over by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture. It is located at the Small Ring, in the commune of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, the poorest in Belgium, at 1 Place Madouplein.

Architecture

The 33 story core of Madou was built in just over a month and has been compared as a smaller version of the MetLife Building in New York City. There is a high voltage transformer in the basement for power, along with a 1360 kW emergency generator added during renovation. Two lifts connect to the parking garage.

During the 2002-6 renovation, the buildings height was increased from 112m to 120 m and office space was increased by 10,000m² to 40,000m² requiring the building to be reshaped and strengthened. The renovation won the MIPIM Award 2006 in the ‘Refurbished Office Buildings’ category.

Commission

The European Commission bought the building on 13 March 2006 inaugurating it on 19 April when its 1500 employees moved in. Based in Madou, as of 2007, are the Directorates-General for Communication, Informatics, and Education and Culture and the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation. Staff were previously based on the Axa-building on Schumanplein, which was to be demolished.

See also

* Brussels and the European Union
* Berlaymont building (Commission headquarters)
* Charlemagne building (another Commission building)
* Espace Léopold (Parliament in Brussels)

External links

* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=108941 Madou Plaza] , Emporis
* [http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/nc/ne/?id=101508 News: European Commission moves to Madou Plaza] , Emporis (2005-12-21)
* [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0014468 Tour Madou Plaza] Nicolas Janberg's: Structure
* [http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1812.php Madou Plaza] , Glass Steel and Stone
* [http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/video_search_en.cfm?keyword=siim&witch=video Official opening of Madou Plaza Tower, new EC building] , European Commission (2006-04-20)
* [http://passages.ebbs.net/galerie/1Bruxelles/madouGen.htm Gallery: The Madou Tower] , Office of the Obscure Passages - before and after images
* [http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5472703/EUROPEAN-COMMISSION-MADOU-TOWER-PHENOMENON.html EUROPEAN COMMISSION : MADOU TOWER PHENOMENON BRINGS BRUSSELS FOLK CLOSER TO EUROPE.(Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud Unit inaugurates new building)] , Goliath (2006-04-20)