Group TBI led construction consortium and two leading architectural firms selected to design and construct The European Patent Office’s new building in Hague, Netherlands

Munich/Rijswijk, 27-6-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — The European Patent Office (EPO) announced today that a consortium of four companies belonging to the Group TBI, one of the largest construction, mechanical and electrical services companies in the Netherlands, in co-operation with two leading architectural firms, namely Ateliers Jean Nouvel (Paris) and Dam & Partners Architecten (Amsterdam), has won an international competition to design and construct its new “Main Building” in Rijswijk (The Hague), the Netherlands. The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation took the decision during its regular June meeting today in Munich, endorsing the recommendation made by an international jury for the tender procedure. The decision empowers the President of the EPO to conclude a contract with the successful consortium.

“The EPO has deep historical roots in Rijswijk,” said EPO President Benoît Battistelli today. “After several attempts over the years which did not come to fruition, we can now make this major investment, to provide a long-term solution for the accommodation needs of our staff in Rijswijk. The construction of a high-quality, sustainable, innovative building will enable us to continue our mission of supporting innovation in Europe in much improved working conditions. The new building will be a real landmark and a physical expression of our continued commitment to our host country, the Netherlands,” he said.

With its gross floor area of over 80 000 sq metres to house approximately 1 750 staff members, it will be one of the largest construction projects of its kind in the Netherlands today.

Preparations are now underway to finalise the contract and develop a more detailed final design before construction work can begin on the site, in 2014.

With roughly 4 000 staff at its headquarters in Munich and 3 000 in The Hague, the EPO is the largest international organisation in the Netherlands and the second largest in Europe. It also has smaller offices in Berlin, Vienna and Brussels.

Press contact:

Oswald Schröder
Spokesperson
European Patent Office
Tel: +49 89 2399 1800
Mobile: +49 163 8399 668
Email: oschroeder@epo.org