Finance Tower, Government skyscraper near Botanique, Brussels, Belgium.
Finance Tower is a 36-storey skyscraper of 145 metres at the crossroads of Boulevard du Jardin Botanique and Rue Royale, in Brussels' Northern Quarter. Its façade is a light blue and white curtain wall of small glass panes set in a regular grid, divided into vertical bays by white mullions, with two continuous white strips running from base to top and dark fins along the flat roofline. It was built between 1968 and 1982 to designs by Hugo Van Kuyck, Marcel Lambrichs and Léon Stynen.
Construction began in 1968 with plans for a modern administrative center, but faced obstacles from wet soil conditions and budget constraints. The building opened in 1983 as a major government facility and has remained a central part of Brussels infrastructure.
The tower's name comes from the Belgian Finance Ministry, which occupied it from its opening until the federal finance department moved to the North Galaxy Towers nearby. In front of the building stands L'Âme Sentinelle, a sculpture by Nat Neujean showing two nude women embracing, one grasping the other's wrist behind her back.
The building sits along Boulevard du Jardin Botanique next to the Botanical Garden and is easy to reach by public transport. The exterior can be viewed from the street, but interior access is restricted to authorized personnel and official business.
The artwork L'Âme Sentinelle by sculptor Nat Neujean greets visitors at the entrance with two female figures in bronze. Most passersby miss this sculpture, yet it adds an artistic dimension to what is otherwise a purely administrative building.
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