Major refurbishment of Brussels’ fifth-largest building, the Astro Tower.

The Astro Tower is the fifth largest building in Brussels. At 107 meters high, it has 34 floors and 35,000 m² of office space. The tower underwent a complete transformation and was given a new façade in blue reflective glass. Even the interior was gutted. All the pipes for hot & cold water supply and drainage were all replaced with select products from Wavin’s range of piping solutions.

Prominent fixture

The Astro Tower has been a prominent fixture on the Brussels skyline since 1974. In 2014, the building’s owner, Luresa (Banco Santander Group) hired the architectural firm of Estudio Lamela (Madrid) and ALTIPLAN architects (Brussels) to collaborate on the tower’s intensive design/build renovation project.  The Willemen Group and Cordeel were both hired to partner up as the general contractors for the project. Willemen entrusted the complete reconstruction of the water supply system to the hands of Belgian installers, Moens BVBA. And because both the general contractor and installer had previously worked with Wavin on other projects, it was an easy and quick decision to choose Wavin solutions to overhaul the piping. Moens asked the research department at Wavin to fully delineate the new piping system.

Wavin provides a total piping solution for drainage

In his own words, Moens’ project manager Bart De Regge said "The tower has 135 toilets and more than 100 sinks. Draining all the water odourless and through such as small space represented a major challenge.  Since we also supply the water fire prevention system, it was necessary that the pressure is sufficient to get to the higher levels. Wavin is the only supplier to guarantee a pressure of 15 bar at the supply lines. Other manufacturers could not exceed 10 bars. With Wavin Tigris, we still reach 4 bars on the 34th floor."

With Wavin Tigris, we still reach 4 bar on the 34th floor.

Bart de Regge , Project Manager Moens BVBA

HepVO waterless traps are ideal solutions for kitchens.

The Astro Tower has a central kitchen on every single floor. These kitchens will not be used on a regular basis, where the escape of foul sewer air from the waste discharge system needs to be prevented. HepVo traps are waterless and therefore don't rely on trapped water to create a seal against foul odours release.

Being completely waterless, the HepVo traps are much smaller than traditional traps. They can be installed horizontally as well as vertically. In the Astro Tower kitchens, the space beneath the sink is limited and the HepVo traps turned out to be the perfect solution. 

Small diameters were not a problem for Wavin.

Wavin QuickStream is the ideal choice for complex roofs on non-residential structures. Smaller pipe dimensions, fewer roof outlets and downpipes, and shorter total pipe lengths all serve to reduce installation costs and save space – both very important to the project’s General Contractor, Willemen, who wanted to use as much available space as possible. "By opting for the siphonic system rainwater system from Wavin’s QuickStream, we were able to install pipes with a diameter of 110 mm. With the traditional system, you can easily reach 200 or even 250 mm; that is why the Wavin system was equivalent to saving space and money," said Bart de Regge.

Training and on-site service

Wavin always connects its customers to better solutions. And training was an important part of that equation. According to the Moens’ project leader, “It was the first time we used the Wavin Tigris Hot & Cold system. In order for our installers to learn about this pressing system, Wavin provided training to the team. I also greatly appreciated the assistance, in the event that any problems would arise. Add to that the considerable stock, instant delivery, material quality and efficiency of their technical design team and you know why we love working with Wavin!"

And the feeling is mutual. The Wavin Belgium team thoroughly enjoyed working with Moens, Willemen and the entire collaborative group on what was such a monumental project. 

Now you know why we love working with Wavin!

Bart de Regge , Project Manager Moens BVBA