A former VDS industrial site on Rue de Belgrade in Saint-Gilles is set to be transformed into a housing area, announced Brussels Secretary of State for Urbanism and Heritage, Ans Persoons, and Saint-Gilles Alderman for Urban Revitalisation, Willem Stevens, on Wednesday.
The old printing buildings are currently isolated from their surroundings. Citydev, the public Brussels property developer responsible for the project, aims to open it up to the public space while preserving its industrial heritage.
The redevelopment will expand the Saint-Gilles social recycling centre, which currently occupies part of the site, and include 20 “affordable” homes along a courtyard garden of over 500m2. This area will be accessible to residents, cyclists, and local community members.
The existing basement will be retained for recycling centre storage, while the surface area will be partially demineralised through the planting of trees and plants, with over half the ground left as open soil. Roofs will also be fully greened. These targeted interventions and the preservation of the building’s industrial character aim to reduce the site’s environmental footprint.
This project is part of the Roi urban renewal contract, which includes two other local projects: the construction of a food hub and student housing on Rue Théodore Verhaegen, and the development of the colonnade along the railway tracks on Avenue Fonsny, with a total budget of nearly €21 million funded by the Region.
