NATO’s new headquarters
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49287.htm
The design of the new NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, reflects the unity and adaptability of the Alliance. State-of-the-art facilities will enable the building to respond to the Alliance’s evolving needs long into the future, while its forward-looking design delivers a sustainable building that significantly reduces the Organization’s environmental footprint.
A 21st century headquarters for a 21st century alliance
The world has changed a great deal since NATO’s current headquarters was built back in 1967. Since then, the number of NATO members has almost doubled, from 15 to 28 – soon to be 29, with the accession of Montenegro. At the same time, a large number of partner countries have opened diplomatic representations at NATO Headquarters. As a result, the current headquarters building has become seriously overcrowded, with almost one-fifth (17%) of the office space now located in temporary structures. Moreover, the current building requires constant and costly maintenance.
Construction of a new headquarters building began with a ground-breaking ceremony in December 2010, and the official handover from host country Belgium to NATO will take place on 25 May 2017.
Part of the continuity between the old and new headquarters, which stand opposite each other on either side of Boulevard Léopold III in north-east Brussels, comes from the design. Aerial views of the buildings clearly show that the concept of interlocking fingers – symbolising Allied unity and cooperation – inspired the architects back in 1967, just as it did for the new building. The resemblances, however, stop there.
Flexibility and adaptability
The state-of-the-art new building will be able to accommodate NATO's changing requirements long into the future, with the design allowing for a configurable use of the building. With over 250,000 m2 –– the new building will provide Allies with all the space they need for years to come. Should more be required at some point in the future, the design is deliberately conceived to allow for further expansion.
The new headquarters will provide space for:
1,500 personnel from national delegations
1,700 international military and civilian staff
600 staff from NATO agencies frequent visitors, currently some 500 per day
The offices of NATO’s partners will be located in a separate building on the NATO campus, with equally flexible premises.
The building design incorporates cutting-edge information and communications technologies. For instance, the conference facilities include 18 conference rooms with simultaneous interpretation facilities and video teleconferencing (VTC) capabilities to link up meeting rooms on site or abroad. Seven of the building’s 34 meeting rooms will have virtual meeting facilities.
Sustainability: a driving factor behind the design
Jo Palma, the project’s lead architect, has said that the environment and sustainability were among the most important considerations in the design of the building.
The window surfaces comprise 72,000m2 of glass. This glass is highly insulated and has protective shading, keeping the heat out in the summer and inside during the winter. The extensive use of glass increases natural light and saves energy on heating, air-conditioning and interior lighting.
The sloped wings of the building are designed to collect rain water, and will provide 90 per cent of the water used for landscaping, cleaning and toilet flushing. Energy consumption will be reduced thanks to the use of geothermal heating in the winter and cooling in the summer, and the use of advanced lighting systems.
These initiatives, together with the recycling of demolition materials, easy access to public transport and reduced travel due to the use of video teleconferencing, will enable NATO to significantly reduce its headquarters' environmental impact.
the new nato headquarters photos
https://www.google.hr/search?q=the+new+nato+headquarters&client=opera&hs=PLz&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8_qiLpInUAhWBmhQKHbETCBkQsAQILg&biw=1745&bih=855
New NATO Headquarters in Financial Trouble
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/construction-of-new-nato-headquarters-in-brussel-overbudget-a-944468.html
NATO is building a new headquarters for one billion euros. But the construction consortium is in financial difficulties and the project is at risk of being halted. It's an embarrassment for outgoing NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
NATO’s new £850million Brussels HQ could be scrapped after construction consortium demands ANOTHER £200million
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2544134/NATOs-new-850million-Brussels-HQ-scrapped-construction-consortium-demands-ANOTHER-200million.html
NATO's planned £850 million headquarters could be scrapped as the consortium building it in a posh Brussels suburb is hovering on the brink of bankruptcy.
The new headquarters - seen by critics as a monument to the ego of outgoing NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen - has run into 'serious financial difficulties' according to the German news magazine Spiegel, which claims to have accessed paperwork relating to the complex.
The magazine claims BAM Alliance's money problems, which it says Rasmussen is aware of but is yet to inform NATO member states about, stems from a simple miscalculation over subcontractor costs and that without an additional £200 million funding, the entire project will grind to a halt.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Fogh_Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Danish pronunciation: [ɑnɐs ˈfɔʊ̯ˀ ˈʁɑsmusn̩] ( listen);[check the surname stress] born 26 January 1953) is a Danish politician who was the 39th Prime Minister of Denmark from November 2001 to April 2009 and the 12th Secretary General of NATO from August 2009 to October 2014.
Rasmussen was first elected to the Folketing in 1978 and served in various ministerial positions, including Minister of Tax (1987–1992) and Minister of Economic Affairs (1990–1992). In his early career, Rasmussen was a strident critic of the welfare state, writing the classical liberal book From Social State to Minimal State in 1993. However, through the 1990s, his views moved towards the political centre. He was elected the leader of the conservative-liberal party Venstre in 1998 and headed a centre-right coalition with the Conservative People's Party which took office in November 2001 and won its second and third terms in February 2005 and in November 2007. Rasmussen's government relied on the Danish People's Party for support, keeping with the Danish tradition of minority government.
His government introduced tougher limits on non-EEA immigration and a freeze on tax rates (skattestoppet in Danish). Certain taxes were lowered, but his coalition partners in the Conservative People's Party repeatedly argued for more tax cuts and a flat tax rate at no higher than 50%. Rasmussen's government implemented an administrative reform reducing the number of municipalities (kommuner) and replacing the thirteen counties (amter) with five regions, which he referred to as "the biggest reform in thirty years". He authored several books about taxation and government structure. He resigned as Prime Minister in April 2009 to become Secretary General of NATO. His term as Secretary General was to end in the summer of 2014. However, on 11 December 2013 the North Atlantic Council extended his term until 30 September 2014, in order to ensure the organisation of the 2014 NATO summit in Newport, United Kingdom.
Rasmussen was born in 1953 in Ginnerup, Jutland, to farmer Knud Rasmussen and Martha Rasmussen (née Fogh). His surname is Rasmussen, while Fogh, his mother's maiden name, is his middle name and not considered part of his last name. He is correctly referred to as Rasmussen (not Fogh Rasmussen), unless his full name (including his given name) is used. In Danish media and society, he has often been popularly referred to as Fogh Rasmussen, or merely Anders Fogh, when not referred to by his full name, mainly to distinguish him from other prominent politicians in the country with the same family name.
He matriculated in languages and social studies from Viborg Cathedral School, in 1969–1972. and studied Economics at the University of Aarhus, graduating in 1978. He has been active in politics most of his life and has authored several books about taxation and government structure. He and his wife Anne-Mette (born 1958) married in 1978 and have three children: Henrik Fogh Rasmussen (born 1979), Maria (born 1981) and Christina (born 1984). Rasmussen also has six grandchildren.
As an amateur cyclist, Rasmussen completed part of the notorious Alpe d'Huez stage of the 2008 Tour de France the day after the professional race took place.His attendance at Le Tour was at the invitation of Danish former cyclist Bjarne Riis. Rasmussen is also an avid runner.[citation needed]
He is of no relation to either his predecessor Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, nor his successor Lars Løkke Rasmussen as Prime Minister of Denmark.
https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/people/anders-fogh-rasmussen
Europe needs America, now more than ever
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2016/06/10/interview-ex-sec-gen-nato-anders-fogh-rasmussen-libya-nato-importance-america-78509
60 Years Of NATO In Eight Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6XHw-ibicY
Uploaded on Apr 1, 2009
Sixty years ago in Washington, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was born. After World War II, fears of a Soviet attack in Europe convinced Western leaders of the pressing need for a defensive military alliance. The world has changed dramatically since 1949, and NATO had to adapt constantly to deal with new and unanticipated global threats. RFE/RL looks at the dramatic and difficult moments in NATO history with rarely seen NATO archive films and exclusive interviews with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker.