Shape headquarters near Mons to get major facelift

Shape – the military headquarters of the Nato's Allied Command Operations (ACO), which manages all NATO’s operations worldwide – is soon to get a brand new headquarters, following a public inquiry that ended on 31 August.

The project will construct new infrastructure such as car parks to accommodate more than 2,000 cars. It will also upgrade the main entrance of Shape (the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), which since 1967 has been situated in the tiny village of Casteau, about 5km north of Mons, in Hainaut province.

A second public inquiry, which ended on 7 September, will result in the creation of a new primary and secondary school for 600 students to cater for the children of Shape’s 1,700-plus employees from all over Europe and the United States, with Finland the latest country to join the pack.

No date has been set for completion of either the headquarters or the school, but works are likely to take at least five years. After that, in time, the existing buildings will be demolished.

Meanwhile, a new village of 600 housing units for Shape workers is already being built on site. This project is set to be finished by 2026 or 2027.