Astro Tower, Modern skyscraper in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium.
The Astro Tower is a 107-metre skyscraper on the north-eastern corner of Brussels' Small Ring in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Its facade is a dense grid of amber-brown rectangular panels set between thin vertical and horizontal mullions running the full height. The building has 33 floors and 34,820 m² of floor area.
Designed by Albert De Doncker, inspired by Milan's Pirelli Tower, the Astro Tower was built by BESIX between 1972 and 1976 for SA Auxari and the SNCI, financed by Barclays and Overseas International. Fortis sold it to HPG Belgium NV in 2005, then to Spanish investor Luresa in 2008. Renovated by Altiplan and Estudio Lamela, it became the world's tallest passive building in 2016.
Since 16 November 2016 the tower has housed the 900 staff of Actiris, the Brussels regional employment service, later joined by the Flemish employment agency VDAB and Brussels Formation. The three bodies share the building under a 25-year lease signed in May 2014.
The tower stands on the north-eastern corner of the Small Ring in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, just north of the Madou Plaza Tower. It is an office building, not open to the public, so it is seen from the street; the amber-brown panel facade is best viewed from the pavement below.
The tower was designed by Belgian architect Albert De Doncker, inspired by Milan's Pirelli Tower; the Spanish firm Estudio Lamela, with Brussels-based Altiplan, only handled the 2010 renovation. Completed in 2016, that renovation made it the world's tallest passive building, and in November 2016 it welcomed 900 Actiris staff.
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