The Neolegia consortium put together a team in 2017 for the design competition for Coronmeuse, the transformation of an old industrial site on a peninsula on the Meuse River into a high-quality and bustling eco-neighborhood. Through a competitive dialogue bidding procedure the city of Liège appoints the consortium, based on the masterplan developed by BUUR.
BUUR is responsible for the masterplan and the landscape design for this new eco-neighborhood. The residential area for 1200 housing units will be completely car-free and will give priority to active transportation. The existing road along the quays will be downgraded into a boulevard for cyclists and promenade. Local traffic will be guided to the underground parking, while the spatial structure of the neighbourhood is oriented towards new tramlines.
Two new bicycle and pedestrian bridges will turn the district into a strong hub for soft mobility on a regional scale. The iconic Astrid Park gets a major facelift and will be extended over the entire site. The existing soil pollution requires coordinated soil remediation and an intelligent approach to the necessary earthworks. At the same time, all rainwater will be captured and infiltrated on site
In total, more than 200 consultations were held within the framework of the master plan, in order to seek knowledge from stakeholders and involve them in the implementation of the project. In order to support this innovative urban development, the city also asked BUUR to frame the project within a new urban planning instrument ZEC (Zone d’Enjeu Communal), as a pilot for the Walloon region.
The master plan provides for a phased development of the construction volumes. In a first phase, the entire public space will be constructed, together with a first segment of housing. The building permit for this was submitted at the end of 2019. The remediation works have started in autumn 2020, whereas the landscape works will start in 2021 with estimated completion date before the end of 2023.
