NATO begins the final phase of its move to a new home
NATO started today (19 March 2018) the last part of its move to its new headquarters in Brussels. Over the next 12 weeks, around 4000 people - NATO civilian and military staff, as well as 29 national delegations - will transfer to their new offices.
“This is a significant milestone”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. “We are moving to a cutting-edge and environmentally-friendly building which makes a fitting home for the Alliance in the 21st century.”
The Alliance’s move to its new, permanent home is long overdue. NATO has been in its old, temporary headquarters since 1967. The old building is overcrowded and requires constant and costly maintenance.
With more than 254,000 m2 of space, the new headquarters brings together in one working space the diplomatic and military delegations from 29 Allied nations, along with NATO civilian and military staff. The building has been designed to resemble interlocking fingers, symbolising NATO’s unity and cooperation.
The new headquarters is a “green building” which is expected to be 30% more energy efficient. Its windows take maximum advantage of natural light, which will reduce electricity use. The geo-thermal heating and cooling system uses the constant temperature beneath the surface of the ground to heat the building during the winter and cool it in summer.
This new building is an important investment for the future. It will help the Alliance not only to make the best use of technology, but also to stay flexible and adaptable, innovative and creative.
NATO will remain fully operational throughout the move.