DESIGN & BUILD – TUC RAIL

Space optimisation for a post-covid
return to the office.

TUC RAIL, a Belgian engineering company specialising in railway infrastructure, needed to rethink its Brussels offices for a post-COVID, hybrid-first workforce — across three floors, through three consecutive public tenders, over three years.

~3,000 m²

REDESIGNED ACROSS 3 PHASES

3

CONSECUTIVE TENDERS WON

3

FLOORS

2020-23

FULL PROGRAMME TIMELINE

THE CHALLENGE

A hybrid workplace transformation, phased across three floors

TUC RAIL is a Belgian engineering company specialising in railway infrastructure and technology. In 2018, it adopted a new organisational structure — shifting to project-based teams organised around a matrix model, triggering significant changes in how people work and collaborate.

When the project launched in 2020, just after the pandemic, TUC RAIL needed to rethink its offices from the ground up. The post-COVID context had fundamentally changed expectations: fewer individual workstations, more collaboration and meeting spaces, and full AV and IT setup for hybrid working.

AREMIS joined as a client-side Project Management advisor, winning three consecutive public tenders to redesign the 3rd–7th floor, the 4th floor, and the ground floor — nearly 3,000 m² in total, opposite Brussels Central Station.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

Redesign TUC RAIL’s Brussels offices floor by floor to create a flexible, hybrid-ready workplace.

Adapt the workplace to post-COVID hybrid working patterns

Reduce individual desks and increase collaborative and meeting spaces

Support cross-fertilisation between project teams with different structures

Deliver within a defined budget across three phased renovations

Equip all spaces with modern AV, IT and room reservation systems

APPROACH

A flexible and diverse working environment that moves people from concentration to collaboration.

AREMIS acted as a trusted client-side advisor throughout the entire programme — facilitating workshops with ambassadors, developing the design concept, coordinating all stakeholders, and overseeing delivery from design to final furniture installation.

01

AMBASSADOR WORKSHOPS

Two structured workshops per phase — one to capture the specific needs of each department, one to validate the design concept with key ambassadors before execution.

02

HYBRID WORKPLACE DESIGN

Fewer individual workstations, more meeting rooms and collaborative bubbles — with AV-equipped hybrid meeting spaces responding to the new post-COVID reality.

03

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ADVISORY

Full client-side PM support: measurements, stakeholder coordination, supplier management by the client, and oversight of works through to final delivery.

04

TECHNICAL UPGRADES

Improved air conditioning, acoustic barriers, full cabling review, LED lighting throughout, and height-adjustable ergonomic furniture with seating alternatives.

05

DIGITAL & AV INTEGRATION

Intelligent screens, room reservation systems and full IT infrastructure — enabling seamless hybrid collaboration across all meeting and work spaces.

06

PHASED DELIVERY

Three consecutive tender wins — 3rd–7th floor, 4th floor, ground floor — each phase building on the last, with consistent design language and delivery methodology.

SOLUTION

New collaborative and dynamic spaces, built for the way people work today.

The opportunity was taken to give the building a complete facelift. Each floor was redesigned to create a flexible and diverse working environment that allows — and encourages — employees to move fluidly between focused work and collaborative interaction.

The post-COVID context reinforced the brief throughout the project: the impact of working from home and the rise of hybrid meetings became key design parameters. Workstation counts were adjusted and meeting room typologies were expanded accordingly on each floor.

Wellbeing was woven into every detail — plants, ergonomic furniture with height-adjustable desks, natural light, acoustic treatment and full LED lighting — creating a workplace that people genuinely want to return to.

PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE

CLIENT

Tuc Rail

SECTOR

Public Sector

LOCATION

Brussels (BE)

TOTAL AREA TRANSFORMED

3,000 m²

FLOORS RENOVATED

3

TENDERS WON

3 consecutive

EMPLOYEES SUPPORTED

~1,000

RESULTS

A workplace built for collaboration and hybrid work. Three times over.

The transformation delivered more than a refreshed interior — it gave TUC RAIL a modern, flexible workplace aligned with how its teams actually work, backed by three consecutive public tender wins over three years.

01

FULL BUILDING TRANSFORMATION

Nearly 3,000 m² redesigned across three floors — a coherent, phased transformation of TUC RAIL’s entire Brussels office building opposite Central Station.

02

HYBRID-READY WORKSPACES

More meeting rooms, collaboration bubbles and hybrid AV-equipped spaces — and fewer individual desks — directly responding to post-COVID working patterns and team structures.

03

THREE CONSECUTIVE WINS

AREMIS won three successive public tenders to continue the programme — a direct reflection of the quality of delivery, client relationship and project management throughout.

04

WELLBEING & TECHNOLOGY

Height-adjustable desks, plants, LED lighting, acoustic barriers, intelligent screens and full room reservation systems — a workplace that supports both performance and wellbeing.

A HYBRID WORKPLACE TO REDESIGN?

We’d be glad to show you what’s possible.

Tell us about your building, your organisation and your ambitions. A first conversation is enough to know whether we’re the right partner for your next transformation.