When our family lived in Brussels, Belgium, I would catch the number 12 bus after my weekly French class to disembark at NATO headquarters, where my husband worked, for our weekly cafeteria lunch date. As I waited for him to arrive, I often explored its forum, the more public area of the complex, perfect for people-watching, with officers in a wide variety of national military dress striding purposefully here and there.
The “new” NATO headquarters building was completed in 2018, standing just across the street from its former facility. Its design resembles interlaced fingers from above, like folded hands in prayer, intended to articulate the intricacies of multilateral decision-making among its member states. The white sparkling NATO star on its blue flag is the most recognizable symbol of the alliance, signified in an enormous, compass-like steel sculpture that stands at its formal entrance.
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