IKO Real Estate and BPI Real Estate are co-developing the new headquarters of Bâloise Vie International in Leudelange. Wooden will be the first wooden office building of this scale in Luxembourg, as well as the second administrative building in the country to be part of the WELL Building Standard® certification process. Its delivery is scheduled for the second half of 2022.

Behind its six-story glass façades, the new Wooden building reveals a wooden framework, whose V-shaped lines give it a unique character. Exemplary in terms of sustainable development and well-being, the 9,600 sqm building will offer its occupants a working environment of unprecedented quality.

Wood: a natural, renewable and local resource

The Wooden building is well named because its load-bearing structure (exoskeleton, columns and slabs) is entirely made of wood. A material shaped for sustainable development, wood is low in energy consumption, since its transformation into a building element requires only a moderate amount of energy (water, electricity, etc.).

The wood species used here come exclusively from sustainable forests in the Greater Region. In these PEFC-certified forests, when a tree is cut down, one or two other specimens are necessarily replanted. In this way, over the life of the building, the forest will have recovered what was taken from it as part of the project.

If the implementation of wood extends the design period, the execution work is accelerated. The elements are prefabricated and, above all, 40% lighter than concrete, which relieves the building's foundations and considerably reduces the number of trucks needed to bring them to the site. A wooden construction also generates less disturbance, noise and dust.

The building, which will also be equipped with photovoltaic panels, is aiming for BREEAM Excellent environmental certification.

An holistic approach for the well-being of the occupants

In addition to its constructive qualities, Wooden is also the second building in Luxembourg to be part of the WELL Building Standard® certification process. Unlike other labels in the construction sector, the focus here is on the occupants, through ten concepts that enable a holistic approach to well-being in and around the building: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community.

In terms of wellness, Wooden's architecture, designed by the international firm Art & Build Architect, also emphasizes biophysical design. Biophilia is the innate affinity of human beings with the natural world. Man has a spontaneous and unconscious need to connect to other forms of life. Thus biophilic design integrates natural elements into the built environment in a way that satisfies this need for connection and promotes the well-being of the occupants. The U-shaped building adapts perfectly to the slope of the land and opens harmoniously into the surrounding green spaces. Terraces on each floor and green roofs reinforce this connection to nature.

The ground floor is designed as a place to live, welcome and exchange open onto areas for co-working and eating out. A wide staircase invites people to move around and meet, for more conviviality and less sedentary life. The entirely glazed façade provides optimum natural light, which improves user comfort.

Earthworks will begin in the spring of 2020, with delivery scheduled for the second half of 2022. Learn more on www.wooden.lu and by watching the following video.

The new headquarters of Bâloise Vie Luxembourg

The co-developers IKO Real Estate and BPI Real Estate designed the building with the needs of its future main tenant, Bâloise, in mind. The 460 employees will take possession of the premises after completion of their rental arrangements.

The building lends itself perfectly to new ways of working with several collaborative spaces, a "village" in the centre of the building to encourage exchanges, and lounges to welcome customers in a warm setting.

Ideally located in Leudelange, Wooden benefits from high visibility on the main axis overlooking the Am Bann business park. A sought-after location which benefits from excellent accessibility via public transport, motorways and soon the tram.

The actors of the project

To carry out this daring project, the co-developers IKO Real Estate and BPI Real Estate, both of whom have a long experience in the development of innovative and high-performance office buildings, have called on the international architecture firm Art & Build Architect, which has capitalised on more than 10 years of research and experience in timber construction.