From the grandiose Paris-based studio Vincent Callebaut Architectures comes a 135 000 M² vision in green. Introducing the mixed-use eco-neighborhood 'Tour & Taxis'.
Vincent Callebaut Architectures, the creators of wonderful futuristic architectual eye-candies such as Bloom, unveiled their vision of the future, all-green Brussels.
To be more exact, a large customs clearance and storage complex, an industrial park also known as 'Tour & Taxis' that was built between 1902 and 1907, is undergoing a major renewal and the studio is a cruical part of it. Recognized as a worldwide symbol of industrialization's golden age for its engineering, ironwork, stonework and natural light, it covers 40 hectares (c. 100 acres) of former wetlands. The warehouses are being repurposed to reflect sustainability, energy saving and the reuse of renewable energies, all while transforming into a mixed-use eco-neighborhood along the Brussels canal, where people of all generations can work, live and play.
While designing, Vincent Callebaut Architectures focused on revitalization of the built heritage, sustainable communities, and water. As the studio explains, the "metamorphosis" of the Gare Maritime (Marine Terminal) into 50,000 square meters (c. 538,000 square feet) of mixed-use space composed of professional activities (offices, workshops, etc.), retail activites (markets, showrooms, shops, fablabs, etc.) and public amenities is their main goal.
Furthermore, the project also includes the eco-design of three residential "vertical forests" totalling 85,000 square meters (c. 915,000 square feet), as well as the creation of a large pond bordered by a natural and biological pool which links the Tour & Taxis park to the Brussels canal.
For more details on this beautiful sustainable project, please visit the project's page and see the gallery below.