“A good city has industry”

Industry is a vital part of the rich economic and urban fabric of a vibrant city. In Brussels, the industrial infrastructure that is still prominent is a unique asset for the future. This infrastructure is now being revived into innovative manufacturing activities, low-skilled jobs and a circular economy. The Brussels Inter-Beton site is especially surrounded by an extremely mixed context: Up-site (highest residential tower in Belgium), the central administrations of the Flemish government and Brussels Environment, Tour and Taxis Park, etc. Besides the canopy with Inter-Beton admin functions hovering over the concrete mixing work area, we proposed to leverage public amenity by expanding public function with a central focal point suspended over public space. This will become a true symbol for the integration of industry and city.

Circular economy: turning daily concrete waste into building components

Today, a lot of money is earned through the city, but not always by and for the city. If we can organize manufacturing and logistics into shorter chains and closed cycles, the city will be more sustainable and a larger part of the value will remain in the city. Reconverting an inner city concrete mixing facility gives obvious benefits with regards to short supply chains of building materials. Returning trucks gather 20 cubic metres of concrete waste every day. We propose to use this waste for precast dry interlocking concrete blocks that will become the support base for the suspended canopy. Concrete and glass block façade infill panels can also be produced. More elaborate research will assess the feasibility of manufacturing precast pretensioned structural members on site with the concrete waste.

Urban livability: landmark public function

Urban livability is hard to define and should be historically, culturally and individually situated: how people relate to each other and their environment in complex ways. It is about ecology in its most basic sense, from the Greek word “oikos”, meaning “home”. Sustainability is not complete if not including this human aspect. In this project, the canopy prevents dust and sound from being emitted to neighboring residential and recreational areas. But it also aestheticizes a difficult industrial inner city site, and provides a much-needed suspended public function in the Canal Zone, visible from two important axes. What was first a challenge now becomes a landmark quality for urban livability and will become more and more a focal point of vibrant Brussels “mixity”.