Gare Maritime: A Sustainable and Circular Design for Mixed Multifunctional Urban Program

Located on the Tour & Taxis site in Brussels, Gare Maritime is transformed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects into a covered city with a mixed program of shopping and working with a lot of public space. This 45.000 m2 project is an awesome example of a sustainable and circular design that entirely constructed in wood.

Design

This project is designed by the architect as a new city district: ‘a city where it never rains’. There 12 pavilions added under the old station’s roofs to accommodate the new program of the project. These pavilions can create a new structure of streets and boulevards, squares and parks, that follows the structure of the building in a natural way beautifully.

The building has a central space that has been kept open for public events while wide green walking boulevards on both sides of the event space are enough to plant 10 large gardens.

Structure

This building is entirely constructed in wood, the largest CLT-project in Europe. The choice of wood material can reduce the use of cement also give a favorable effect on the process of construction. The construction time is considerably shorter thanks to the prefabrication and the dry constructing method.

This project also becomes a great example of a sustainable and circular design on its entire part. The building is a fossil-free and energy-neutral with far-reaching sustainability that have been implemented at all of its levels.

The far-reaching sustainability in this building includes the reuse of rainwater, geothermal energy, and solar panels on the glass facades and roofs.

Gare Maritime Gallery

Photography: Filip Dujardin / Sarah Blee / Tim Fisher