In the new Learning & Innovation Center at the Université Libre and Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels, the focus is on educational innovation, thanks to state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment designed by Axians.
Opened on 14 May 2025 at the heart of the campus shared by the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the all-new Learning & Innovation Center (LIC) offers a hybrid collaborative space with a resolute focus on innovation.
This 9,000 sq. metre building is the fruit of a €37.1 million investment, and stands out not only for its avant-garde architecture and sustainable approach, but also its integration of cutting-edge technological infrastructure, the design and implementation of which were entrusted to Axians, the VINCI Energies ICT brand.
The LIC, designed as a bridge between the two universities, symbolises their ambition to strengthen their collaboration and provide a framework conducive to interaction between students, researchers, teaching staff and external partners.
With its 35 study and meeting rooms and 7 active teaching spaces (collaborative and active), and extended opening hours from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., the new centre is intended to be an incubator for ideas and innovative learning methods. But its audiovisual and digital infrastructure, designed and installed by Axians, is what really makes this a model establishment for Belgium and Europe.
Early in 2024, Axians was assigned the crucial mission of creating an AVoIP (audio-visual over Internet Protocol) network and equipping the LIC with an integrated audiovisual system designed to support hybrid teaching, videoconferencing, recording and interactive sessions.
“Creating a modern and flexible learning and working environment”
“This was a considerable task, which our dedicated team composed of a project manager, project engineer, lead programmer and solutions architect completed in less than a year,” says Thor Van Driessche, Sales & Bid Manager at Axians Audiovisual Belgium.
An ambitious technical project
The project, which launched in August 2024 and concluded in June 2025, involved the installation of cutting-edge equipment across five floors of a building still under construction. The main challenges included the connection to the university’s existing audiovisual infrastructure and ICT networks, strict security policies, and tight schedules for handover in time for the 2025 new university year.
“As an integrator, we handled the installation of all the hardware including the cabling, the programming design, and the test phases leading up to handover,” explains Thor Van Driessche.
Axians deployed a wide range of technological solutions: rooms for collaboration and active teaching (4K screens, touchscreens, videoconferencing systems and smart booking displays); recording studios and auditorium (LED walls, PTZ cameras, professional streaming and recording systems, dedicated operating desks); an immersive experience hall (360-degree projection and edge-blending technology, surround sound, touchscreens); and digital signage (screens throughout the building, controlled by a centralised content management system).
Public success
“Our objective was to create a modern, flexible and inspirational learning and working environment, perfectly integrated with the existing on-campus audiovisual standards,” says Thor Van Driessche.
Developed in three languages (Dutch, French and English), the AVoIP solution installed by Axians has a simple and intuitive interface with touchscreens using a range of pictograms: “This tool can be used by someone with zero technical knowledge”.
The new Learning & Innovation Center is already a success. Even before the university year began, the centre was welcoming more than 1000 unique visitors a day on average, double the initial target.
11/14/2025
