BERLAYMONT/BERLAIMONT

   The Berlaymont is the first large-scale building to house offices of the European Union (EU). It was constructed between 1967 and 1969 to designs by the architect Lucien de Vestel. Located at the east end of rue de la Loi and the Schuman roundabout, the building sits on the site of a convent founded by the countess of Berlaymont in 1624. The 13-storey, glass office block (169,000 sq. m / 1,818,400 sq. ft.) conforms to the shape of an "X," whose four wings of prestressed metal beams house windowless conference rooms in the center and offices on the outside. The seat of the Commission of the EU, the building had to be vacated at the end of 1991 on discovery that excessive amounts of asbestos had been used in its construction. Renovation continues. The Berlaymont has become an architectural symbol of the European Union.