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Blue Tower to be renovated with new 360-degree rooftop terrace

09:19 19/04/2023

The Blue Tower on Brussels' Avenue Louise will feature a 360-degree panoramic rooftop after a renovation, according to state secretary for town planning Pascal Smet (One.Brussels).

The Brussels region has issued planning permission for the renovation, aiming to bring the heritage building, which symbolises functionalist architecture, back to its former glory.

The project will include offices and shops on the street level and space for plants and for sustainable mobility, in addition to the 360-degree panoramic rooftop.

Formerly known as the SAIFI Tower, the Blue Tower was inaugurated in 1976. Its architect, Henri Montois, fit the tower into a 1970s masterplan for Avenue Louise, which envisaged five office buildings.

“The Blue Tower is a witness to the functionalist architecture of the 1970s – it’s one of the Brussels towers that everyone knows and part of the Brussels skyline,” Smet said.

“This conversion brings the tower into the 21st century. Because the project applies the standards of Good Living, the Blue Tower becomes a new example of the urban ambition for our region. Various uses will have their place there.”

The building will be open to the neighbourhood and the general public.

The renovation will include a sky-bar with a spacious terrace featuring 360-degree views of the Belgian capital, plus the creation of three office floors.

As the street slopes, the basement in Rue Vilain XIIII and Rue du Lac will gradually become a ground floor on the street side, allowing the establishment of a shop.

At a height of 88 metres (25 floors), the Blue Tower has dominated the area around the Ixelles ponds and the Bois de La Cambre abbey for almost 50 years.

Written by Helen Lyons