ING Belgium ready for the future after sustainable renovation of its iconic headquarters
“The Marnix” - a role model in sustainability and a place where customers, art and employee well-being take centre stage
Brussels - After an ambitious renovation project lasting more than three years, ING Belgium is reopening the doors of its iconic headquarters on Avenue Marnix, where customers, art and employee well-being are at the heart of the experience. Today, the sustainably renovated building will be officially re-opened by Hilde Laga, Chair of the Board of Directors of ING Belgium, CEO Peter Adams, ING Group CEO Steven Van Rijswijk, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Jan Jambon, Governor of the National Bank of Belgium Pierre Wunsch and Mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close. As a gem on the Brussels heritage list and holder of both “BREEAM Outstanding interim” and “WELL Platinum” certificates, ING celebrates a new milestone in its rich Belgian history.
Triple recognition for Belgium’s most ambitious renovation
Even before completion, the renovation was already considered the most ambitious in Belgium. In June, it received a “BREEAM Outstanding interim” certificate – the highest possible rating under the strict international BREEAM standards for sustainability and energy efficiency.
ING Belgium also received the prestigious “WELL Platinum” certificate, the highest and rarely achieved level of certification and the global benchmark for buildings that promote health and well-being. In the near future, ING Belgium will also add a CO₂-neutral certificate to its list of achievements.
Peter Adams, CEO ING Belgium: “After more than three years of intensive renovation, we are proud to see our iconic headquarters restored to their full glory. This building embodies our ambition to unite heritage and innovation, with a strong focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. But ‘The Marnix’ is more than just a workplace, it’s a home that reflects our Together for Progress strategy, our drive for impact. It’s how we fully embrace our role as a financier of the economy. For the bank, our customers and the city, this is a major milestone we’ve all been looking forward to. Deeply rooted in the local business and cultural environment and with international appeal, ‘The Marnix’ is once again ready to inspire and connect. We are ready for the future!”
“Open space, open mind”
As a jewel of modernist design, the ING Marnix building has long been a favourite among art and architecture enthusiasts. That remains true today. Inside, the art collection bridges past and future. Architect Gordon Bunshaft – himself an avid art collector – envisioned a thoughtful interplay between art, architecture, furniture and people. That vision remains intact, with the ING art collection displayed throughout the building.
On the ground floor, “The Marnix Gallery” hosts temporary exhibitions. To mark the official re-opening, ING Belgium invited the Franco-British artist duo Daniel Dewar and Grégory Gicquel and their exhibition ‘Skin, Scales, Shells’, which is open to the public. The collection and exhibitions come together to create a space where people experience art in a unique way, through reflection, relaxation and knowledge sharing. This ambition is perfectly captured in the “Open space, Open mind” concept, which defines ING Belgium’s art philosophy.
A home focused on well-being
From the start of the renovation, the well-being of those who live and work in the Marnix building was a top priority. The building is fully adapted to hybrid working, with classic meeting rooms, focus zones, a fitness room and a meditation space. These facilities, along with ergonomic furniture, attention to psychological well-being, healthy food options and the promotion of soft mobility – including a bike parking area with over 200 spots and full reimbursement of public transport – contributed to the achievement of the “WELL Platinum” certificate. The Marnix branch is located on the ground floor and the building also includes numerous reception areas designed to help customers share and realise their plans.
Peter Adams, CEO ING Belgium: “Already in the design phase, we clearly defined our priorities: we wanted a future-proof and CO₂-neutral building. With our renewed headquarters, we have everything we need to positively impact the well-being of our colleagues. We are extremely proud!”
About the Marnix building:
- ‘The Marnix’ covers a surface area of over 47,000 m².
- The building has 1,286 windows.
- Each floor of the front façade spans 52 windows across (one window between every two pillars), symbolising the 52 weeks in a year. There are 7 floors, representing the 7 days of the week.
- On average, 2,100 people come to work in the Marnix building every day. In addition, all the meeting rooms combined offer 1,000 extra seats.
- The modernist building has been on the Brussels heritage list since 2021.
- ING selected A2M – Moreno Architecture as the architectural firms responsible for this ambitious renovation.
- The building’s CO₂ emissions were reduced by 76% compared to 2019 (from 2.7 tons of CO₂ to 600 kg of CO₂).
- An underground reservoir can store up to 200 m³ of rainwater, which can be used for irrigating plants or sanitary facilities.
- More than 9,940 m² of old carpet tiles were recycled into new ones.
- An external treatment of the façades using a photocatalyst helps purify the surrounding air by breaking down certain atmospheric pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are primarily emitted by road traffic.
History: As early as the 1960s, ‘The Marnix’ attracted attention in the Belgian capital and far beyond. In 1958, the Lambert family commissioned the construction of a new headquarters for the then Banque Lambert. The American firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and its architect Gordon Bunshaft were brought on board. It is the only building this renowned American architect Gordon Bunshaft ever built in Belgium. In 1965, Léon Lambert inaugurated the Marnix building. The site was expanded in 1992 with Marnix II and Marnix III, which connects the two parts. Since 1998, the building has housed the headquarters of ING Belgium, which in 2021 saw the modernist office building added to the Brussels heritage list.
Gianni De Muynck
About NG
ING Belgium is a universal bank that offers financial services to private customers, companies and institutional clients. ING Belgium SA/NV is a subsidiary of ING Group NV via ING Bank NV (www.ing.com).
ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank. The purpose of ING Bank is: empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. ING Bank’s more than 60,000 employees offer retail and wholesale banking services to customers in over 100 countries.
ING Group shares are listed on the exchanges of Amsterdam (INGA NA, INGA.AS), Brussels and on the New York Stock Exchange (ADRs: ING US, ING.N).
ING aims to put sustainability at the heart of what we do. Our policies and actions are assessed by independent research and ratings providers, which give updates on them annually. ING’s ESG rating by MSCI was reconfirmed by MSCI as ‘AA’ in August 2024 for the fifth year. As of December 2023, in Sustainalytics’ view, ING’s management of ESG material risk is ‘Strong’. Our current ESG Risk Rating is 17.2 (Low Risk). ING Group shares are also included in major sustainability and ESG index products of leading providers. Here are some examples: Euronext, STOXX, Morningstar and FTSE Russell.