Swift Headquarters

The headquarters building for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication‘s (SWIFT) was designed as an extension to the company’s offices. Situated in La Hulpe, on the outskirts of Brussels, the site extends on a spacious wooded estate with sweeping views, dotted with ponds and opposite a small château dating from the end of the 19^th century.

This project marks a point of inflection in the stylistic evolution of RBTA’s, with the conscious incorporation of high-tech elements into the classical designs. Retaining the compositional systems and the harmonious relationships between the different elements and between the part and the whole, the scheme incorporated advanced building technologies and the use of concrete, glass and steel together.

Preliminary implementation studies for this headquarters suggested carving a space in the park, prompting construction at the highest point of the periphery near the main roads. In addition to providing direct access to the main road, this approach ensured the building’s seamless integration into the landscape.

Again in the interests of full integration into the setting, the preferred option was to give the building a horizontal development, with three floors above ground and two basement levels. The program is laid out in two wings around a central space which, like an atrium, makes a break in the rhythm of the façade in contrast with the rest of the building. The restaurant and cafeteria occupy a separate pavilion, linked to the main building by a pergola-passageway.

The concrete facade is composed of Wrightian pilasters and large windows which shape a balanced system of different heights. Both on the facades and in the building’s interior, the system of proportion applied is based on the golden ratio and on √5.

The minimalist design of the interiors, including furniture and light fixtures, harmonizes with the building’s envelope in the proportions and architectural elements.