It was with a certain shared pride that the key players in the “Campus” project gathered for a ceremony to lay the foundation stone at the Cloche d’Or. This complex of four buildings will become the new headquarters of PWC Luxembourg by 2027. “This project represents a major investment for our company that shows that we believe in the country's future,” said PWC Luxembourg CEO , who has been involved alongside Atenor in the development of the project.
Following the architectural competition organised in 2021 and won by Moreno Architecture and A2M, the developer approached the Big Four with an offer to move into the project they were planning to develop in place of the Renault garage. It was an audacious gamble, and one that required some adaptations to the project, notably the creation of footbridges between the buildings, as the competition project was intended to be “multi-tenant.” But this choice paid off, as PWC chose to embark on this construction project rather than transforming/renovating their current building, Crystal Park, owned by B.G.1 owned by Société Générale Assurances (Sogecap) and in which they are tenants.
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Buildings with high ambitions
It has to be said that the new headquarters has some serious assets. The architectural design is entirely adapted to the needs of the future occupant. This is an opportunity for PWC Luxembourg to upgrade its workspaces to better meet post-covid needs: more collaborative spaces, numerous convivial and informal areas, plenty of outdoor space for breaks or working outdoors, the introduction of services such as a food court, a minimarket, a gym... There will also be a 350-seat auditorium, a company restaurant on the top floor and an experience centre.
“We envisaged a building that is currently rectilinear on the boulevard side, but which unfolds in the heart of the block like an inhabited valley, with terraces planted on the landings and a park at the heart of the buildings,” explained Moreno Architecture founder .
“In addition to this, the building unveils strong environmental ambitions,” adds A2M founder Sebastiano Moreno. “It responds to the desire to have a decarbonised future, with low CO2 emissions, the use of low-carbon concrete, lots of greenery. Its annual carbon behaviour is equivalent to the CO2 absorption of 10 times the new park next door.”
A project that makes sense
For Atenor CEO Stéphan Sonneville, “this project is one of those that allows us to rediscover the full meaning of our job as a developer. For us, it’s an opportunity to imagine what the city should look like in five or 10 years’ time.” He also stressed the importance of the “climate of trust in which this project is taking place” and said he was “impressed by Luxembourg’s vision and development discipline,” having invested nearly €1bn in the country’s real estate through Atenor’s projects.
The mayor of the City of Luxembourg, (DP), also expressed her gratitude to PWC Luxembourg for continuing its development in Luxembourg, in this Gasperich district “where they arrived back in 1999, which was quite a precursor.” It should be remembered that the Crystal Park building, the current headquarters of PWC Luxembourg, was inaugurated in 2014 when the Cloche d’Or had not yet been developed. Since then, and has eight satellite offices positioned at the country’s borders.
Construction work is currently underway. It is being carried out by CLE, Galère Lux and CBL. The project engineers are Felgen & Associés and ICB.
The future Campus will be owned by Cloche d’Or Development and leased to PWC Luxembourg on a 15-year lease, with a possible eight-year extension. This gives them a secure office lease until 2050. The move of the 2,300 employees is expected to take place around June 2027.
This article was originally published in .