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BEI/05/63
Luxembourg, 13 July 2005
First stone ceremony for the EIB's new building
Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister and Finance Minister of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and Governor
of the EIB, and Philippe Maystadt, President of the European Investment Bank, today laid the first stone of
the Bank’s new building in the presence of Paul Helminger, Mayor of the City of Luxembourg, the architect
Christoph Ingenhoven and a number of key figures from the government, diplomatic corps and European
institutions in Luxembourg.
Short speeches were given by Wolfgang Roth, EIB Vice President and member of the Management
Committee with responsibility for the Bank's buildings, Mr Helminger, Mr Ingenhoven, Mr Maystadt and
Mr Juncker. After the speeches, two blocks of glass were sealed into which was inserted the “Headquarters
Agreement between the Luxembourg Government and the EIB”, updated in 1986, establishing Luxembourg
as the EIB’s definitive place of business. This "first stone" will be incorporated into the main entrance to the
new building.
This ceremony marks the launch of the main works in a project which began in 2003 and will be completed in
2007 with the delivery of 72 500 m² of offices and facilities able to house up to 750 people.
The building's architecture will be innovative, sober and functional, and was conceived entirely with
environmental and ecological factors in mind, in line with the selection criteria of the international architecture
competition governing its design. The transparent glass shell enveloping the building, combined with the
presence of winter gardens and atria, will optimise the use of natural resources and reduce energy
consumption and environmental emissions.
These environmental qualities, which far exceed the requirements of current regulations, have been awarded
a "Very Good" rating under the BREEAM system (Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method), a highly regarded British certification now adapted for the first time to Luxembourg
legislation. The EIB project is the first in mainland Europe to receive the BESPOKE BREEAM certification.
The new building will be situated between boulevard Konrad Adenauer and Val des Bons Malades, forming
an extension of the EIB’s existing headquarters in the “North European Quarter” in Kirchberg, Luxembourg. It
was designed by the Düsseldorf firm of architects “Ingenhoven und Partner Architekten” (IPA). In 2002,
following an architects-designers competition in which 56 candidate architects from around the world took
part, IPA's project was selected by an international jury chaired by Ricardo Bofill.
The decision to undertake this major construction project was taken at the end of 2001 by the Bank’s
Management Committee in response to the need for more space created by the growth in EIB activities and
responsibilities, particularly in the context of enlargement of the European Union.
The EIB has been established in Luxembourg since 1968, initially leasing offices in Place de Metz before
moving to the Kirchberg Plateau in 1980. It was the first European institution to construct and own its
headquarters, to which an extension was added in 1995.
Additional information: see pages 2 and 3 or the website: www.eib.org
Press contacts: Sabine Parisse, tel. (+352) 4379-2146, e-mail: [email protected], or
Marianne Roda, tel. (+352) 4379-2154, e-mail: [email protected]
ADDITIONAL PRESS INFORMATION
FIRST STONE CEREMONY FOR THE EIB'S NEW BUILDING
The environment as the core concept of the EIB’s new building:
Rewarded by BREEAM certification
A building integrated into its environment
The VVVI shape with a rounded roof, bordered by terraces on several levels, will allow the new building to
merge harmoniously with the topography of the Kirchberg hill. The glass structure will make the most of
natural light, while the winter gardens and atria (cold or warm foyers depending on whether they face north or
south) will provide ventilation and natural thermal insulation. The use of natural elements is designed to bring
about a significant reduction in energy consumption and environmental emissions. Lastly, the materials
employed will be exclusively "durable", e.g. the construction wood, which will be certified in accordance with
“Forest Stewardship Council” standards. All materials will comply with fair trade criteria.
BREEAM stamp of approval
The EIB opted to have the environmental qualities of its new building assessed using the BREEAM method
(considered by the OECD to be the most comprehensive system in Europe so far). This certification is
particularly well regarded because it is both exhaustive and highly specific, comprising over one hundred
criteria, e.g. water and energy consumption; impact on health and welfare of occupants; pollution caused by
transport; environmental implications of the use of materials. Following the assessment, the project received
the certification with the rating “Very Good”.
A range of other technologies designed to reduce energy consumption will be applied to the building:

The high thermal insulation double-glazed façades will contain windows that provide natural
ventilation, thus reducing energy demand for ventilation and cooling purposes.

Wood façades: the use of wood rather than aluminium frames to construct the office windows
(11 000 m²) will serve to greatly reduce the amount of primary energy needed to build the façades.

Thermal buffers: the design of the high thermal insulation atria, heated in the winter by solar energy,
will create a microclimate which acts as a thermal buffer, thus reducing energy consumption for
heating.

Activation of the structure’s thermal inertia: owing to the circulation of chilled water through the pipes
integrated into the concrete floors, the floor and ceiling temperature will be around 19°C in the early
morning. During the day, the floors and ceilings will naturally absorb the heat generated in the offices,
thus reducing cooling requirements.
ADDITIONAL PRESS INFORMATION
FIRST STONE CEREMONY FOR THE EIB'S NEW BUILDING
A MULTINATIONAL PROJECT
The new building project has brought together participants of various nationalities:
On the design side:
The Düsseldorf firm of architects Ingenhoven und Partner Architekten and, for the structural engineering, the
Frankfurt-based company Werner Sobek Ingenieure.
The technical studies were split between the German engineering firm pbe-Beljuli (Pulheim) for the electrical
installations and IC Consult (Frankfurt) for ventilation and heating.
The Luxembourg consultancy S&E Consult will be responsible for monitoring site progress. Project
management services will be provided by the limited-life partnership formed by the companies Jacobs France
(Paris) and Paul Wurth (Luxembourg).
On the construction side:
Following an international call for tenders, the general contracting works, which have just begun, were
awarded to the Franco-Belgian limited-life partnership formed by the firms Vinci Grands Projets and CFE.
Delivery of the building, whose total cost is estimated at EUR 135 million, is scheduled for 2007.