an inside look at daniel libeskind's mons conference center in belgium

an inside look at daniel libeskind’s mons conference center in belgium
image © georges de kinder
all images courtesy of ville de mons

to celebrate mons’ inauguration as the european capital of culture, the belgian city commissioned daniel libeskind to design a new conference center as the centerpiece of the region’s regeneration. titled the ‘mons international congress xperience (MICX)‘, the 12,500 square meter building opened its doors on january 9th, 2015.

conceived as an expression of contrasting geometric forms, the center houses a grand entrance hall, three auditoriums, a multi-purpose event hall, conference rooms, offices, a restaurant, underground parking and a public roof terrace. an expansive public forecourt surrounds the building, completed using a polished, earth-colored concrete, flecked with bands of blue belgian stone.

the structure’s cladding reveals the interior of the scheme, with lower walls finished with upright timber slats. the design’s contrasting upper section boasts vertical bands of anodized aluminum that follow the wall’s curvature.

‘we used simple, yet dramatic, design gestures, local materials and a flexible program for this modest gem of a building,’ explained daniel libeskind. ‘we hope the new center brings a fresh dynamic to this area of revitalization in mons’.

image © georges de kinder

visitors entering the complex are greeted with a brightly lit double-height lobby, where diagonal skylights create shifting patterns of natural illumination. soft grey concrete floors are cross-hatched with inlaid belgium blue stone, while a sculptural concrete staircase leads visitors to the upper auditorium floors. throughout the design, concrete ribbon walls allow for a greater flexibility of space, providing more floor area for the site’s various facilities.

image © georges de kinder

the center features three auditoriums of varying sizes: 500; 200; and 100 seats, each fitted with orange tangram seats designed by daniel libeskind for poltrona frau/cassina. in addition to the forum, which can host special events, parties and temporary exhibits, the center features a 380 square meter multi-purpose space, as well as 16 flexible meeting rooms of varying sizes.

image © georges de kinder

highly energy efficient, with a green roof, passive shading, night cooling and fitted with photovoltaic cells, the MICX is on track to achieve valideo status B, belgium’s equivalent to LEED gold.

‘for me sustainable building is not a new design trend or an added feature, it is about common sense and quality. if you build in the right way using high-quality materials, innovation and technology, you will create something long lasting and sustainable’, added libeskind.

image © georges de kinder

on the occasion of the official opening of MICX, photographer georges de kinder documented the building through a series of images, which can be seen below. for designboom’s previous coverage of the project, see here.

image © georges de kinder

image © georges de kinder

image © georges de kinder

image © georges de kinder

image © georges de kinder

image © georges de kinder

image © georges de kinder

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project info:

client: city of mons
building size: total floor area: 12,500 sqm (134,548 sqf)
status: completed
estimated completion: 2015
photography: georges de kinder

architect of record: H2A IR architecte & associes
cost & site supervision: CIT blaton (cost) SEMACO (site supervision)
structural engineer: ney & partner
mechanical engineer: energys
electrical engineer: putman
contractor: CIT blaton/galère
façade engineer: somec group
auditorium seats: poltrona frau/cassina (‘tangram’ libeskind design)
technical review: SECO

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