ArcelorMittal announced in June 2023 that the first steel beam on the 21-storey building had been installed, with the building intended to serve as a showcase for the unique role that steel can play in sustainable construction.

Now standing at more than eight storeys high (the stairwells currently surpass the eighth floor, while the steel frame and floor decks reach the sixth floor), the building is scheduled to be ready for use by ArcelorMittal employees in 2027.

Since the outset of the project, the sustainability of the building, together with the quality of the working environment for employees, has been the priority. The building serves as a showcase for Steligence®, ArcelorMittal’s proprietary design philosophy, combining sustainability, innovation and flexibility in construction at scale, comprising steel, glass and green spaces.

Key environmental credentials of the building include:

• The building’s exoskeleton is being built with XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel, which is made in Luxembourg with 100% recycled steel content in an EAF, using 100% renewable energy. Each steel beam used in the building has a carbon footprint of 333kg per tonne— a saving of 10.4 tonnes of CO₂ per beam. In total, the building will contain more than 14,000 tonnes of steel, 95% of which is XCarb® steel.
• The XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel is produced in Differdange and Belval and fabricated in the Steligence® Fabrication Centre.
• Steel constructions are seven to 10 times lighter than traditional reinforced concrete buildings, thereby saving the production and the transportation of a large amount of material and therefore significantly reduced the CO₂ footprint of the buildings.
• The construction techniques used for the building will make it energy efficient and low-carbon, certified “BREEAM Exceptional,” “DGNB Gold,” and “WELL Gold”:

BREEAM: environmental performance and resource use efficiency

DGNB: comprehensive approach integrating economic, ecological, and socio-cultural criteria

WELL: health, comfort, and well-being of the building’s occupants

The headquarters project was the subject of an international architectural competition in 2017, won by Wilmotte & Associés from Paris. The brief for architects was to design “a contemporary and sustainable building that exploits the full potential of steel from top to bottom".

The result of Wilmotte & Associés’ design is a truly unique building, including cutting-edge products and features resulting from close collaboration between the architect and ArcelorMittal’s R&D teams.

The architect defined four major conceptual themes for the project:

• A monolithic, structural glazed façade an open-air section and rooftop planted terraces covered in photovoltaic panels.
• An atrium with aerial footbridges.
• Four-structural elements building that magnifies the use of steel.
• Office floors that are 20 metres wide with no intermediate columns. This creates an ultra-flexible building with column-free spans of up to 20 metres, made possible by intelligent combination of high strength steel cellular beams and composite floor.

Speaking at an event in Kirchberg on Friday 26 September, to provide an update on the progress of the project, Vijay Goyal, Executive Vice President of ArcelorMittal, whose responsibilities include the headquarters project, said:

“ArcelorMittal’s own path is inseparable from Luxembourg’s steel heritage. From ARBED’s leadership in Luxembourg, through the creation of Arcelor, and ultimately to the company’s evolution as ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel and mining company, Luxembourg has remained not only our home but also our symbol of resilience, transformation, and ambition.

It is with that spirit that we envisioned a headquarters that reflects who we are today and what we aspire to become tomorrow. We chose Kirchberg because it represents Luxembourg’s modern face: a vibrant international business district at the very heart of Europe. Our new flagship headquarters will serve as a visible beacon of our vision.”

Also speaking at the event, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, said “This building, made from the DNA of ArcelorMittal, is hatching and blooming towards the sky in the Kirchberg district”.

Pierre Engel, head of ArcelorMittal’s headquarters construction project, said “In terms of steel and glass architecture, the materials available today are materials that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a Bauhaus Master, would have dreamed of. They include our much-admired low carbon-emissions steel, generating long spans and slender columns, but also amazing glass, which brings natural light and exceptional insulation to the building.”

The headquarters will bring together staff from ArcelorMittal’s current headquarters; Aperam employees will also be present in this building.

Read more:

• Construction official starts on ArcelorMittal’s headquarters building in Luxembourg
• Read about our XCarb customers
• Learn more about Steligence