Louizatoren, Modern office building on Avenue Louise, Brussels, Belgium
Louizatoren is a 23-storey office tower with one technical floor, rising about 90 metres at the corner of Avenue Louise and Rue Defacqz in Brussels. Its oblong hexagonal plan is built on a mixed steel and reinforced concrete frame, with twenty perimeter columns clad in black anodised aluminium. Horizontal bands of dark glass alternate with projecting aluminium-clad floor bands, and the recessed top floor is covered in corrugated aluminium sheeting.
André and Jean Polak designed this tower in 1964, with construction completed by 1966 for the insurance company Assurances générales de Trieste. The project marked a shift toward contemporary office design in Brussels during that period.
The tower's name recalls both Avenue Louise and its first owner, the Trieste insurance company Generali, still echoed in the nickname Tour Generali. Its ground-floor glazing was altered in 1999, when four doors were replaced by large display windows and two new double doors were cut into neighbouring bays.
The tower stands at the corner of Avenue Louise and Rue Defacqz; the complex also faces Rue Paul Janson, Rue de Livourne and Rue Defacqz. Parking access is from Rue de Livourne. The building is offices, not open to visitors; the 2015 permit reworked the entrance volume and the esplanade at the tower's foot.
When completed, Louizatoren was among the first structures in Brussels to exceed the 80-meter height mark. This achievement made it a notable landmark in the city's skyline at that time.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,561 contributors worldwide.
