The extension and renovation of the iconic 1908-1909 Palace hotel in geometric Art Nouveau style will result in an increase in capacity from 354 to 505 rooms and a hotel with two ballrooms, 16 meeting rooms, a hanging garden and a restaurant overlooking the Herb Garden.
Achieving this expansion requires a punishing feat of façade engineering. For a start, the hotel is located above a metro line in the centre of Brussels.
‘The metro tunnel prevents a continuous foundation, so 2/3 of the building cantilevers over the ground floor via a steel structure. To make the large hall on the ground floor above that column-free, a steel mega truss was placed over 4 floors from which, in cantilever, the supporting structure of the hotel's rooms and corridors, was suspended.’
