The Government of the Brussels-Capital Region has charged Citydev, the Regional Development Agency of the Brussels-Capital with the development of mixed-use live/work projects in Brussels. Considering the population growth of the Belgian capital, these projects require an efficient densification while providing sufficient space for the development of economic activities. The Regional Development Agency assumes that the combination of live/work within one single site is possible, insofar as the alignment of both programs has been previously checked from an urban, technical and financial point of view.
Citydev asked BUUR to elaborate a development plan for the Marco Polo site, a plot of land located at the entrance of Brussels along the ‘Bergensesteenweg’ and the railroad to Gent. This plan will define the quantitative and qualitative boundary conditions for the architectural development and construction of the project.
The development plan proposes to separate as much as possible the traffic generated by the industrial zone from the traffic generated by the residential area, but determines at the same time typologies of built environments allowing a vertical mix. The public domain is also presented as a space to be shared, not only for the internal functioning of the new site, but also as part of a network of streets and squares connecting the surrounding neighbourhoods. The ground-level spaces of the buildings located along the ‘Bergensesteenweg’ will be reserved for retail trade, as an intermediary level between the local shops and the retail trade situated along the ring road.
As the site is located at an intermodal junction that is very well connected (train-subway-bus-transit car park), the project plans a high density development with a floor area ratio of 1,5. High-rise elements formed by residential apartments will mark the entrance of the new neighbourhood, as a landmark that matches the major surrounding infrastructure of the railroad and the ring road.
The masterplan has been translated in an allotment plan and is currently under development as the project called ‘Novacity’. The architectural project won in 2019 the label ‘Be.exemplary Brussels’.
You can find more info on the project here.
