BP-building Antwerp
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The BP Building, previously also known as the Axa-Royale Belge Tower, is a suspended-structure office building in
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
, Belgium, designed by the Belgian architect
Léon Stynen Léon Stynen (15 July 1899 – 13 May 1990) was a Belgian architect, urban planner and designer, from Antwerp. Some of his buildings have been categorized as "refined" Brutalist architecture and modern architecture. He has been called one of Bel ...
. The building was completed in 1963 and features a unique
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
ed floor structure and cable supports. All of the floors are supported with external cables that are attached to roof beams: the weight of roof beams, all floors, and the external walls are carried by a center core. The building was commissioned by BP and is still referred to as the "BP Building", but is now owned b
Buysse & Partners Smart Assets
since 2018. Its architecture has been classified as
Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
and
Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
.


Design

In 1963, well-known Belgian architect Leon Stynen experimented with a technique which allowed a cantilevered facade. All of the floors and the facade of the building are held up with steel cables which are supported from rooftop beams. The design allows for a greater unobstructed interior space. It was Europe's first building which made use of "suspended construction". The floors are supported by external cables, which allows each floor to have no internal columns. The ten floors are all similar and divided by interior wood-based walls. The facade is a type of curtain wall with metal grids. A restaurant is located on the upper level of the building. The center concrete columns are tall, and in addition to supporting the stairway and the duct work, they also support the steel core of two beams. Nine crossbeams, long, run perpendicular to the two primary beams. Cables are then hung from the crossbeams, and these support the floors. BP-building, Mastvest, Antwerpen (6958) 29-07-2019 12-38-49.- cropped.jpg, Top section of the BP Building, showing cantilevered roof beams and suspension cables


Axa-Royale Belge Tower

The building was purchased by
Axa Bank Belgium Axa Bank Belgium, located in Antwerp Belgium. Axa Group’s banking arm provides retail banking to individuals, and small companies in Belgium. The bank cooperates with Axa’s local insurance company. History In June 2007, Axa Group’s manageme ...
and renamed the Axa-Royale Belge Tower. It underwent a major renovation and most of the original interior is now replaced. On 5 March 2001 the building was classified as an architectural monument based on historical and architectural value.


Awards

1964 SBUAM Prize Société belge des Urbanistes et Architectes modernistes.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:BP-building Antwerp 1963 introductions Buildings and structures in Antwerp Buildings and structures completed in 1963 Modernist architecture Office buildings completed in 1963 Suspended structures BP buildings and structures