# BRUSSELS | NATO Headquarters | U/C



## taboe (Jan 30, 2007)

*BRUSSELS (Zaventem)/New NATO headquarters*

*- Description:* The NATO Headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, is the political headquarters of the Alliance and the permanent home of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's senior political decision-making body.
The new HQ will be gigantic:120.000 m2 and will be completed in 2012
Also check: http://www.assar.com/assar2/current.php and http://www.som.com/content.cfm/international_treaty_organization_headquarters 
*- Cost:* 300 million euro
*- Design:* Skidmore, Owings & Merill assisted by Assar
*progress:* preparatory work is being carried out. An old airport is being demolished to make way for the new complex.

*Renders:*


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## Don Omar (Aug 10, 2006)

sick


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## taboe (Jan 30, 2007)

demolition has been completed, so construction can start :banana:










The location:


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## taboe (Jan 30, 2007)

an article in French:



Largo13 said:


> Otan : le nouveau siège fin prêt en 2013
> 
> Feu vert pour la construction du nouveau siège de l'Otan : les derniers permis ont été délivrés. Les travaux débuteront en septembre 2009. L'embellie des relations entre la Belgique et l'Otan se confirme.
> 
> ...


The most important points in the article:

- Construction of the building itself starts at the end of next year and will be finished in 2013
- The new building is necessary because the old '60s buildings are falling apart. Apparently some of the old buildings were prefab and are extremely outdated.
- The total cost of the project is apparently *1.4 billion euro*. This huge investment confirms the tie between Brussels and NATO, and ensures the future of the Alliance using Brussels as its HQ.
- There was an international architecture contest, blabla (read post 1)
- The last paragraph recalls the troubled relationship between Belgium and the US a few years ago, when Belgium opposed the war in Iraq. Bush threatened to move NATO to Bonn if the Belgians didn't change their attitude.

BTW: I'm a little disappointed about the lack of response so far, seeing how this is the new HQ for the second most important international political organisation...


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## GeneratorNL (Jun 16, 2007)

Wow! This building is huge.:nuts: Why don't they build a nice skyscraper to house all this office space?

And where in Brussels is it located? That aereal shows something that looks like a industrial area, or am I wrong?

Edit: sorry, I didn't read it well, it's located on an old airport.


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## Hoogfriesland (Nov 22, 2005)

Looks like airportterminals or something. Groundscrapers.


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## taboe (Jan 30, 2007)

GeneratorNL said:


> Why don't they build a nice skyscraper to house all this office space?


because NATO is a great target for terrorists, it would be a bit cautionless to build a 200m scraper...


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## ale26 (Sep 9, 2005)

I don't understand why it's in Brussels


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## theworldshallcry (Mar 8, 2007)

ale26 said:


> I don't understand why it's in Brussels


Brussels is the capital of Europe.


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## romanamerican (Apr 28, 2007)

theworldshallcry said:


> Brussels is the capital of Europe.


Correction: Brussels is the capital of the European Union. Europe isn't one country, therefore the "capital" is different from the normal conception of capital.


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## hoosier (Apr 11, 2007)

A nice building for a bad institution. All NATO is good for now is gobbling up former Soviet Republics to surround Russia and get control of the oil in Central Asia.


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## Ni3lS (Jun 29, 2007)

Looks really modern.  Nice.


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## foxmulder (Dec 1, 2007)

really nice it looks very very modern.


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## Sukino (Feb 11, 2006)

Quite a few war mongers will fit in that.


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## Fab 5 (Jan 10, 2008)

Seems interesting - but what about the budget?!? 300 million euro for a 120.000 m2 building?!? Seems a bit underbudgeted.


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## Skyscrapercitizen (Sep 11, 2002)

A Huge bunker surrounded by parking lots... Must be a great place to visit when finished... hno:

But at least the design look OK, not that special though.


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## taboe (Jan 30, 2007)

Fab 5 said:


> Seems interesting - but what about the budget?!? 300 million euro for a 120.000 m2 building?!? Seems a bit underbudgeted.


that was the first number, but it seems now they count on spending 1.4 billion euro, for the entire project, that is (building, parking lots, roads surroundings,...)


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## Fab 5 (Jan 10, 2008)

taboe said:


> that was the first number, but it seems now they count on spending 1.4 billion euro, for the entire project, that is (building, parking lots, roads surroundings,...)


That seems a bit more realistic


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## taboe (Jan 30, 2007)

some slightly different renders:

]





Meanwhile, the site is cleared I think...


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## Fab 5 (Jan 10, 2008)

^^Thanks for the update - not really sure though, that I am on to this project.


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## Dinivan (Apr 9, 2007)

The building looks nice and huge. Maybe some politicians want to have a huge building having in sight a possible need to replace NATO with an EU army HQ :tongue4:


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## necrophagist (May 24, 2008)

nice buildings! It would be a shame to blow them up, right? :shifty:


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## armandoSCL (Mar 27, 2006)

beautiful


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## Arkdriver (May 2, 2007)

NATO? No Action Talk Only


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## repLica (Mar 3, 2008)

Wow, it looks like amazing


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## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

what exactly does NATO do?


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## ced_flanders (Jan 22, 2008)

Mr. Met said:


> what exactly does NATO do?


They're active in Afghanistan (the whole war in Afghanistan is a NATO operation) Iraq, Darfur and the Balkan region. They also provide humanitarian aid during earthquakes, floods etc because they can mobilize forces and deliver aid faster than the UN can.

I'm not saying that these tasks couldn't be done by another organisation, not defending NATO at all, just saying that the people in the NATO HQ are not just sitting around doing nothing all day.


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## ced_flanders (Jan 22, 2008)

double post


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)




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## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

who is paying for all of this


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## Gaeus (Mar 21, 2007)

It seems vulnerable when you see the building from the outside. It seems like it's all glass cladding and no bunker-like area to protect it from bomb blast nor nuclear attack. I wonder how's the protection inside?


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## SuburbanWalker (Jun 23, 2007)

I don't think thatj, when it comes to a nuclear blast, it matters a whole lot whether the cladding is glass, stone or something else...


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## Chupavi (Oct 17, 2008)

Nice building
It will be better to build an Hospital like that and not HQ for some war machinery
hno:hno:hno:


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## Betelgeuze (May 11, 2008)

Chupavi said:


> Nice building
> It will be better to build an Hospital like that and not HQ for some war machinery
> hno:hno:hno:


Belgium has a lot of big hospitals, building another one isn't solving the problem of old NATO buildings 
Really, whats your point?


and America helping other countries... ha! Yeah, they are defenetly helping Europe in this crisis...


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## Chupavi (Oct 17, 2008)

My point is that you do not need new Nato building... 
oh... never mind, cool building.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)




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## Fab 5 (Jan 10, 2008)

Long time, no news - what's happening?


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## ced_flanders (Jan 22, 2008)

Fab 5 said:


> Long time, no news - what's happening?


According to this article in a Flemish magazine, published february 3rd 2010, building should start this year, and the whole thing should cost 450 million euros.


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## Denicka (Dec 3, 2007)

Ugly building! A pack of garages... So, they decided that Poland is way too close to Russia to place a headquarters there?


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

Fab 5 said:


> Long time, no news - what's happening?





> 16 Dec. 2010
> 
> New NATO headquarters ground-breaking ceremony
> The NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, will attend a ground-breaking ceremony on the site of the new NATO Headquarters on Thursday 16 December 2010. The Secretary General will deliver short remarks and will, together with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Mr. Yves Leterme, unveil a commemorative plaque.
> ...



Everything is ready to get started:








(Google Earth)










Video of the new HQ, it will be the biggest single building in Belgium: http://www.nato.int/structur/tenders/newhq3/video/080401-newHQ.wmv


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## Miguel Portela (Jan 21, 2008)

Bah we are losing the war on Afganistan and we making a new headquarters. 


About Brussels to me is the capital of my federal country EU this crisis is showing us that or we sickt toghter or we will be like africa soon. .


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## ajaaronjoe (Mar 1, 2010)

Brussels is in a perfect location as it's situated among Germany, France and the UK. Peace out :yes:


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## Meurisse (Jun 11, 2007)

the model of the NATO Headquarters:



Meurisse said:


> op de website van De Morgen een fotootje van de maquette:



recent pictures:



Filou said:


> Update vandaag, zondag 2 januari:


Everything in place to start the works for what shall be the largest building in Belgium!


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## fraBELGIUM (Feb 20, 2011)

Miguel Portela said:


> Bah we are losing the war on Afganistan and we making a new headquarters.
> 
> 
> About Brussels to me is the capital of my federal country EU this crisis is showing us that or we sickt toghter or we will be like africa soon. .


Brussels has always been the capital of the EU. It's stratigic because it's in the center of the EU, and because if a large country, like Germany, has the capital of the EU, France en the UK would be jalous


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## MonsterPug (Apr 4, 2010)

You both don't make any sense. Do you both know anything about NATO?


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

I think this one can go to UC now.

*UPDATE:*



Bazar said:


> The winterstop is over
> 
> Cranes are in place
> 
> ...


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)

New entrance, Chaussée de Haecht, Haachtsesteenweg, B-1130 BRUSSELS (in front of the Belgian Road Safety Institute)


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)

Main Entrance Side


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)

Important Road works, including a tunnel


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)

On this picture, the current NATO HQ


















Direction Brussels Airport


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## Axelferis (Jan 18, 2008)

theworldshallcry said:


> Brussels is the capital of Europe.


Europe isn't a country for the less i know.
Brussels is a cumulation of offices , restaurants for bureaucracy

It is the administrative capital of european union.

And franlky despite it is a pretty city its power is nothing without france+germany axe.


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## GZT (May 17, 2010)

Axelferis said:


> Europe isn't a country for the less i know.
> 
> Brussels is a cumulation of offices , restaurants for bureaucracy
> It is the administrative capital of european union.
> And franlky despite it is a pretty city its power is nothing without france+germany axe.


So you think you need a country in order to use the term 'capital'? lol.
read.


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## Axelferis (Jan 18, 2008)

*administrative capital*

nothing else


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## ced_flanders (Jan 22, 2008)

GZT said:


> So you think you need a country in order to use the term 'capital'? lol.
> read.


It's not the capital, it's the seat for some of the EU institutions (mainly commission and council of the EU, and part of the parliament) there are EU intsitutions in Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Strassbourg as well. The EU has never chosen a capital city. You wouldn't call New York City the capital of the world just because it houses the UN headquarters either. 
It's a fun place to live though, and it's a shame that the EU's and NATO's bureaucratic reputation give Brussels a boring image.


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## taboe (Jan 30, 2007)

Can someone change the status to U/C please?


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## Сталин (Dec 29, 2011)

Interasting. It is built in Brussels because Brussels will be the future capital of the United States Of Europe? Right?


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## ced_flanders (Jan 22, 2008)

The NATO headquarters used to be in Paris, untill Charles de Gaulle withdrew the French membership of the NATO military command and basically kicked them out of the country. Another city needed to be found, Belgium proposed Brussels, nobody objected, et voilla that's why they're here. It has nothing to do with the EU. 

http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2007/issue2/english/history.html


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## geococcyx (Dec 27, 2011)

nice project

can´t wait to see when it´s done!:cheers:


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

This is the old headquarters in Brussels btw. So it's not like it's new in Brussels like some of you like to believe. They are just getting a new building...









http://s1.gva.be/ahimgpath/assets_i...nen-schappen-ook-in-evere-id1229677-460x0.jpg


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## Сталин (Dec 29, 2011)

joshsam said:


> http://s1.gva.be/ahimgpath/assets_i...nen-schappen-ook-in-evere-id1229677-460x0.jpg



^^Ugly boxes.


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

^^Yea well, it's functional I guess. The pentagon os equally ugly in my eyes.


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## Lion007 (Sep 16, 2009)

Great project.


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)

Сталин;87378829 said:


> ^^Ugly boxes.


And these buildings are actually being renovated. It might become the new Belgian Defense HQ when NATO leaves it. Now Belgian Defense HQ is located in the backyard of NATO.


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## taboe (Jan 30, 2007)

3D Animation of the complex, which will be huge. The central hallway is spectacular!









Btw: This project is under construction, not proposed, who do I contact to change this?


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)




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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)




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## Jongeheer (Sep 19, 2010)

loads of progress:


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

It's going fast now!


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## Сталин (Dec 29, 2011)

It would be better if there where more updates here.


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

^^
16/11/2012

The last pics that were made. Afther that came the winterstop I think and now it's to cold to build I guess. The area is far from near central Brussels that's why not many go to update on this project.
Also pics from closer up are harder because ofcourse NATO area is heavely garded and off-limits to persons that don't belong there. At least the old buildings are heavely garded. I don't know about these new, in the future they will be though.



MichW said:


> Update 16/11/2012


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)

Some pictures of NATO and the road infrastructure around

Roadworks are almost finished.









NATO building









1 of the 2 Roundabouts at the future NATO entrance









Road between the 2 roundabouts and tram & metro station at the left.









Roundabout in direction of the airport.









Driving in the middle of 3x 2 lanes in direction of the airport. The left lanes have a direct connection to the airport via a tunnel under both roundabouts. In direction of the city center there are 5 lanes









Junction to the roundabouts and future NATO entrance (direction airport).









Intersection at the current NATO building. Overhead lines for tram are present yet (direction airport)


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

vank said:


> Eentje vanuit de lucht.


....


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## Highcliff (May 4, 2006)

it is getting beautiful...:drool::drool::drool:


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## Meurisse (Jun 11, 2007)

new update 



Dequal said:


> Enkele snapshots vanuit het vliegtuig. Getrokken door een vettig raampje dus jammer genoeg niet heel erg scherp net.


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## Wapper (Feb 24, 2011)

It looks best from the sky.


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## FLAWDA-FELLA (Oct 8, 2005)

Wow, I had no idea that Brussels was building a new NATO Headquarters. I used to be assigned to the NATO Southern Regional Headquarters in Naples, 
Italy a few years back, which was recently redone as well.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

TohrAlkimista said:


> Love it!
> 
> Is Zaventem the district nearby the international airport?


You can say it's pretty close to the airport. You can see the building being constructed in the background


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## G.A.M.E.R (Jul 31, 2013)

great design! futuristic headquarter


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## Meurisse (Jun 11, 2007)

construction site in this evening's news:

http://www.deredactie.be/permalink/2.30762?video=1.1777981


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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

*Nov.13*





































Source: EPA


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## RobertWalpole (Mar 16, 2010)

Very impressive!


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## Meurisse (Jun 11, 2007)

It better be! for the 750.000.000 euros it will cost


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## Meurisse (Jun 11, 2007)

new update:



VinceB said:


> De werken liggen helemaal niet stil, volgende keer neem ik foto's van de andere kant van de autoweg.
> 
> Misschien niet helemaal zichtbaar op de foto maar boven de central hall komen blijkbaar ook bureau's (tussen de schuine wand en de pillaren rechts ervan)
> 
> ...


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

Update


NATO headquarters by Manic Street Preacher, on Flickr










New roads and tunnels are finished


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## nhatrangfriendly (Mar 2, 2014)

I don't understand why it's in Brussels


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## Manitopiaaa (Mar 6, 2006)

nhatrangfriendly said:


> I don't understand why it's in Brussels


Because most NATO countries are in the European Union which is also primarily based in Brussels. So having the NATO HQ there is logistically convenient since there's already a cadre of diplomats there and there are easy connections to Brussels. The only other option would be New York or Washington and both of those would have given off the impression that NATO was under American domination.


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## ThatOneGuy (Jan 13, 2012)

Nice complex!


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Manitopiaaa said:


> The only other option would be New York or Washington and both of those would have given off the impression that NATO was under American domination.


Which would have been too much symbolic honesty I guess


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## towerpower123 (Feb 12, 2013)

Manitopiaaa said:


> Because most NATO countries are in the European Union which is also primarily based in Brussels. So having the NATO HQ there is logistically convenient since there's already a cadre of diplomats there and there are easy connections to Brussels. The only other option would be New York or Washington and both of those would have given off the impression that NATO was under American domination.


Also, many people in America hate NATO, believing that it is speeding up the outsourcing of American jobs and destroying our economy. Reducing barriers to trade makes it easier to leave and build a factory elsewhere in a cheaper labor market, and then importing the goods.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

^^ What does NATO have to do with reducing trade barriers? Is this about arms trade? I honestly have never heard about that aspect of NATO.


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## De Klauw (Apr 20, 2006)

^^It would be a good idea though to make NATO a free trade organisation. But indeed, currently it's just a military alliance. 


Manitopiaaa said:


> Because most NATO countries are in the European Union which is also primarily based in Brussels. So having the NATO HQ there is logistically convenient since there's already a cadre of diplomats there and there are easy connections to Brussels. The only other option would be New York or Washington and both of those would have given off the impression that NATO was under American domination.


Paris was the seat of NATO until the French withdrawal from NATO in 1966. Then it was 'temporally moved' to Brussels. With this new building this becomes permanent. SHAPE, the military headquarters were also moved from Paris to Belgium and are now located in Casteau, 50 km southwest of Brussels.

But you're right, Brussels is the largest diplomatic city in the world. So it isn't weird that NATO is in Brussels. Weird remark by "nhatrangfriendly".




Funny that NATO was long considered to be a 'dormant organisation' that lost meaning since the end of the Cold War. But now it's suddenly increasing in importance with the crazy things Russia is doing.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)




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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

*Update* (pictures from interbuild.be)






































nedzink.com:









^^ You can see the old HQ across the street


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## TohrAlkimista (Dec 18, 2006)

This is a truly impressive structure, I guess one of the biggest modern buildings in Europe right now.

I am wondering why NATO needed such a huge structure. Is it planning to allocate more units?


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## JLAG (Mar 18, 2010)

That is one large site. Just the sheer size of it makes it interesting. I guess since the crazy Russians have completely lost contact with the real world there is a need for this.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

You can visit the construction site on Google Streetview.


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## Wimpie25 (Dec 4, 2009)

^^
Nice Catch.

I'm wondering, a building of that sheer size and relative importance, does deserve a catchy nickname. Anyone got any idea's?


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## stefanv (Jan 26, 2012)

Wimpie25 said:


> ^^
> Nice Catch.
> 
> I'm wondering, a building of that sheer size and relative importance, does deserve a catchy nickname. Anyone got any idea's?


To me it looks like some ribs. Maybe a nickname related to ribs?:lol:


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

^^ 

"Atlantic carcass"?

jk


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## Mr.Blian97 (Jun 25, 2014)

It kind of looks like the teeth of a zipper, to me!


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## ThatOneGuy (Jan 13, 2012)

Looking great.


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)

The future main entrance at the roundabouts above the tunnel


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## maxxe (Nov 2, 2013)

Looks more like an airport.


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)

maxxe said:


> Looks more like an airport.


And it's built at the former Brussels Airport.


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## Manolo_B2 (Oct 26, 2007)

The final cladding turend out a bit disappointing. Looks like from the 90ies.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

The NATO star moved to the new HQ


Move of "NATO Star" to new headquarters by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Move of "NATO Star" to new headquarters by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Move of "NATO Star" to new headquarters by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Move of "NATO Star" to new headquarters by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Move of "NATO Star" to new headquarters by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Move of "NATO Star" to new headquarters by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Move of "NATO Star" to new headquarters by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


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## 859098 (Jun 9, 2011)




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## FiscalYam (Jan 7, 2017)

Looks quite nice, almost like something out of Marvel's SHIELD.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

Tweet from Jens Stoltenberg from inside the new NATO headquarters. 



> _Today I visited the new #NATO HQ. Looking forward to moving staff and Allies across the road to this modern building later this year._












Looks quite futuristic


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## Wimpie25 (Dec 4, 2009)

The interior reminds me of Marine Bay Sands in Singapore, in a way.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

The inauguration today


Arrival of the King of the Belgians - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


New NATO Headquarters Handover Ceremony and Fly-past - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


New NATO Headquarters Handover Ceremony and Fly-past - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Walk-through of the Agora of the new NATO Headquarters - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr

Walk-through of the Agora of the new NATO Headquarters - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Walk-through of the Agora of the new NATO Headquarters - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Walk-through of the Agora of the new NATO Headquarters - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


New NATO Headquarters Handover Ceremony and Fly-past - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Dedication od the 9/11 and Article 5, and Berlin Wall Memorials - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


New NATO Headquarters Handover Ceremony and Fly-past - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Family portrait of NATO Heads of State and Government - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


Dedication od the 9/11 and Article 5, and Berlin Wall Memorials - Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels by NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on Flickr


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## I(L)WTC (Jan 30, 2010)

It's another boring American's government building :lol:


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