Rogier Tower

Rogier Tower
The Rogier Tower (left) on Rogier Square
General information
Type	Office
Location	Place Charles Rogier/Karel Rogierplein, Brussels, Belgium
Coordinates	50°51′23″N 4°21′33″E / 50.85639°N 4.35917°E / 50.85639; 4.35917Coordinates: 50°51′23″N 4°21′33″E / 50.85639°N 4.35917°E / 50.85639; 4.35917
Construction started	2002
Completed	2006
Opening	November 21, 2006
Height
Roof	137 metres (449 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	38
Floor area	111,903 square metres (1,204,510 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect	Philippe Samyn and Partners, M. & J.M. Jaspers - J. Eyers & Partners
References

The Rogier Tower (Dutch: Rogiertoren, French: tour Rogier) is a skyscraper located in the Northern Quarter central business district of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels, Belgium. It owes its name to the square Place Rogier/Rogierplein in front of the building. It was formerly known as the Dexia Tower after Dexia bank, but that bank fell victim to the 2007–2012 global financial crisis and the tower's name was changed on March 1, 2012. The occupant remains the former Dexia bank (after bankruptcy reorganized as Belfius). It is the third tallest building in Belgium.

It is built on the site of the Rogier International Centre (French: Centre International Rogier, Dutch: Internationaal Rogiercentrum), also called the Martini Tower, which was formerly the tallest building in Belgium, but was demolished in 2001. Constructed between 2002 and 2006, the Rogier Tower is 137 m tall. It was originally planned to be 179 m tall, but the proposal was rejected because the height was thought to be excessive. The Rogier Tower is also one of the few towers in Brussels whose roof is not horizontal, instead being made up of three inclined sections. It is also one of the only towers in the world to have a fully glass roof. Dexia claims that the opposite sloping of the roofs are reminiscent of the stylized letter X in the Dexia logo.

The building has 6000 windows, and 4200 of these are equipped with an average of 12 lightbulbs, each having a red, green and blue LED, allowing a broad of colours to be formed. These are lit up to form colourful displays, with each window acting as a pixel. To minimize power consumption, the LEDs only illuminate the outside of the closed blinds, and the reflection off the blinds illuminates the window. Usually the display is just abstract patterns or the temperature, but on special occasions and major holidays, customized displays are shown. Due to the late-2000s recession, the lighting has been greatly reduced, and the displays are now on for only 10 minutes an hour.