BP Building (Antwerp)

Office building in Antwerp, Belgium

BP Building

BP Building in 2012

Former names| Axa-Royale Belge Tower
General information
Status| Completed
Type| Office
Architectural style| Modernism
Location| Antwerp, Belgium
Address| Jan van Rijswijcklaan 162
Coordinates| 51°11′33″N 4°23′51″E﻿ / ﻿51.1925°N 4.3975°E﻿ / 51.1925; 4.3975
Current tenants| Delen Private Bank; BNP Paribas Wealth Management; Notariskantoor Van Laere; Waterland Private Equity
Construction started| 1960
Completed| 1963[1]
Owner| Buysse & Partners Smart Assets
Height| 187 feet (57 m)
Technical details
Structural system| Cables and beams
Material| Concrete
Floor count| 12
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Léon Stynen
Other designers| Claude Blondel and Raymond Van Loo
Main contractor| Algemene Ondernemingen Widuwe Jerôme Van Coillie
References
[2]

The BP Building, previously also known as the Axa-Royale Belge Tower, is a suspended-structure office building in Antwerp, Belgium, designed by the Belgian architect Léon Stynen. The building was completed in 1963 and features a unique cantilevered 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 by Buysse & Partners Smart Assets since 2018. Its architecture has been classified as Modernist and Brutalist.[3]

## Design

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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.[4] It was Europe's first building which made use of "suspended construction".[3]

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.[5]

The center concrete columns are 57 metres (187 ft) tall, and in addition to supporting the stairway and the duct work, they also support the steel core of two 55-metre (180 ft) beams. Nine crossbeams, 18 metres (59 ft) long, run perpendicular to the two primary beams. Cables are then hung from the crossbeams, and these support the floors.[3]

* Top section of the BP Building, showing cantilevered roof beams and suspension cables

## Axa-Royale Belge Tower

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The building was purchased by Axa Bank Belgium and renamed the Axa-Royale Belge Tower.[6][7] It underwent a major renovation and most of the original interior is now replaced.[3]

On 5 March 2001 the building was classified as an architectural monument based on historical and architectural value.[8]

## Awards

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1964 SBUAM Prize Société belge des Urbanistes et Architectes modernistes.[9]

## References

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1. ^ "BP Building, Antwerp". tobebuild.archi. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
2. ^ "Emporis building ID 109000". Emporis. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022.
3. ^ a b c d "BP-building". inventaris onroerenderfgoed. Onroerenderfgoed. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
4. ^ Winston, Anna (10 January 2019). "Five buildings by Belgian architect Léon Stynen that are worth visiting". Dezeen Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
5. ^ Van Balen, Koen; Verstrynge, Els (2016). Structural analysis of historical constructions : anamnesis, diagnosis, therapy, controls. United Kingdom: Taylor and Francis Group. p. 1658\. ISBN 978-1-138-02951-4. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
6. ^ "BP Building à Anvers" (PDF). Master Builders Solutions. MBCC Group. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
7. ^ De Meyer, Paul. "BF Builiding [sic]". architectuul. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
8. ^ "BP-building". Inventaris Onroerenderfgoed. Onroerenderfgoed. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
9. ^ Acier - Volume 31. Asse, Belgium: Centre belgo-luxembourgeois d'information de l'acier. 1966. p. 309. Retrieved 14 January 2022.

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