Description : Built in the 60s by architect Albert De Doncker, the "Britannia House" building (18,000 m² excluding basement) was thoroughly modernised in 1998 by the Atelier d'Architecture de Genval and renamed "Joseph II". In order to endow "Joseph II" - named after the street it borders - with its yesteryear prestige, the architect utterly disassembled the building only to keep its original reinforced concrete framework. However, even consolidated, this structure could not support heavy materials. Thus a double-skin wall-curtain was chosen instead. The building’s dynamics stems precisely from how the air conditioning system operates. Not least at the roof level, whose technical installations resulted in a covering that expresses the air movements generated by the machines hidden up there.
Technicalities : Façades covered with granite materials, aluminium window frames with double glazing, mineral fibre false ceilings, floor casings, fire detection, 4-tube fan-coil unit air conditioning.
Year of construction/renovation :1993-1994
Total space : 12831 m²
Architect(s) :CGD (Czyz, de Laveleye & Grochowski)
Access : On the edge of Quartier Léopold, in a street clearly quieter than nearby Rue de la Loi or Rue Belliard; but easy access to the ring road (RO). The building benefits from dense public transport (SNCB Schuman station, Metro Schuman et Buses 20-54-59 & TEC/De Lijn to the east of Brussels).
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