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Last updated: 07-Oct-2008 11:55 Headquarters Project Office

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New NATO Headquarters
What does this mean in practice?

Background
New NATO Headquarters

The new NATO Headquarters will reflect the Alliance's core functions and activities of supporting formal and informal consultation and co-operation between NATO's member countries and between member countries and partners, other countries, as well as other international organisations.

What type of facility?

The facilities will comprise :

  • up-to-date conference facilities;
  • office accommodation for Delegations, Military Representations, International Staff (IS) and International Military Staff (IMS), Agencies and Partner Missions;
  • modern, up-to date communications and IT facilities.
  • a variety of support services such as: restaurants, banking, shopping, leisure and sports facilities;


The project could be easily expanded

The design challenges are, therefore, multi-faceted, if not competing. They combine :

  • the requirement for an austere, sober and functional building with the need for a reasonable level of comfort and the provision of modular, flexible space, which can be systematically reconfigured and/or extended. The facilities must also guarantee value for money (a sensible level of cost over a 30 year life cycle) as well as long term soundness.

Where will it be built?

The current NATO Headquarters is situated on a concession of land granted by the Kingdom of Belgium covering approximately 40 hectares in Brussels, Belgium, along the motorway which connects the city centre with Zaventem airport.

At the Prague Summit, the Host Nation, Belgium, granted to NATO in concession, a 40 hectares site for construction of its new Headquarters. Known as the Roi Albert I Air Force site, it is located opposite the current Headquarters and was made available in phases beginning in 2006 and demolition of the existing installations will be completed in July 2008.

The bilateral concession agreement was signed by the Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt, Defense Minister André Flahaut, and the then Secretary General of NATO, Lord Robertson. At the signing ceremony, Lord Robertson took the opportunity to thank the Host Nation for its hospitality towards NATO since 1967.

With the December 2004 agreement for Belgium to take over the role of Project Management, the Host Nation of Belgium is now comprehensively engaged in assuring that NATO's home for the 21st Century will fully and successfully realized.