Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-17-Speech-2-251"
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"en.20021217.7.2-251"2
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". – I am very glad that interest in the Berlaymont building is spreading.
In response to the question originally tabled by Mr Collins, public access to the building was considered to be an important aspect of urban integration during the design phase of the Berlaymont renovation project. The creation of a new public space around the building and the provision of the security glass wall are just two of the consequences of that integrative approach. The design also ensures that, with the exception of some specialist technical installations, the Berlaymont will be fully accessible to people with mobility difficulties. All offices, meeting rooms, interpretation booths and common spaces will be accessible either directly from the lifts or by integral ramps. Easily visible signs and markings everywhere will also be characteristic of the building.
On the second question raised by Mr Collins, the Commission will make significant savings because the purchase of the Berlaymont building at a comparatively competitive cost puts the institution in a better negotiating position in a property market where the major participants are well aware that the Commission will vacate a number of substitute buildings when it returns to the Berlaymont in the early part of 2004. In order to benefit fully from this situation the Commission has launched a call for an expression of interest for the provision of office space.
The final savings arising from these conditions can only be quantified precisely when the established location of all Commission offices in Brussels is clear. It will then be possible to make accurate comparisons between the price paid by the Commission – which is stable – and market rates which are patently not going to go down in the parts of Brussels which are of particular interest to us.
In addition, unlike rental agreements that have to be renewed after a period of tenure, the cost of the Berlaymont to the Community budget is fully predictable because the annual payments of EUR 31.9 million and the annual step-up of 2% were determined when the Berlaymont contract was signed with the Belgian authorities, by me, in October.
Other cost savings which cannot easily be quantified at this stage will include the reduction of transport and communication costs between Commission offices that are now dispersed. In addition the energy efficiency and environmentally-friendly technology of the Berlaymont, together with a design that will restrain technical maintenance costs, will bring further savings.
The financing costs issue – the third point raised by Mr Collins – is central to the project development. The major design characteristics of the Berlaymont have already won the International 2000 Passive and Low Energy Architecture Award for the best architectural design. A copy of an authoritative specialist article giving details of that will be sent directly to the Member concerned. It clearly demonstrates how investment in innovative techniques in installations reduces the running and energy consumption costs significantly.
Many other aspects of the building design will keep the running costs to a minimum. For instance, the rain water on the site will be automatically collected and recycled for flushing and for maintenance in hygiene facilities. In Brussels, I am very glad to say, the regularity of rain water is not in doubt."@en1
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