Around Brucity redevelopment

The Hallenstraat and the Kiekenmarkt will become a pedestrian zone. To control the traffic flow in this pedestrian zone, retractable bollards will be placed at the entrances to Hallenstraat and Kiekenmarkt. With this, access will be reserved exclusively for deliveries, emergency services and local residents.

Due to the meeting zone status in the rest of the project area, pedestrians have priority over vehicular traffic, so crossing the street can be done in a safe and easy way.

Visverkopersstraat, Zwarte Lievevrouwstraat and part of Lakensestraat will become cycle streets. In a cycle street, cyclists have right of way and motorized traffic must stay behind the cyclist.

To reduce traffic in front of the main entrance to Brucity, traffic will be looped between the Joseph Plateaustraat and Rue Melsensstraat to create a forecourt.

A lane will be constructed on Augustijnenstraat to allow vehicles from Lakensestraat to access the parking lot of the Multi Tower.

The stretch of Sint-Katelijneplein between Zaterdagplein and Lakensestraat, will be a one-way street in the direction of Lakensestraat. This one-way traffic is accompanied by the requirement to turn left on Lakensestraat.

The project removes all parking spaces in the perimeter. Nevertheless, 4 spaces for people with reduced mobility could be created in the immediate vicinity of the project's perimeter, including two sites on Melsensstraat and two sites on Joseph Plateaustraat.

Deliveries can be made according to the regime of residential and meeting zones. On the Zwarte Lievevrouw axis, deliveries can be made as well as in the adjacent streets, particularly the Melsens/Joseph Plateaustraat and the beginning of Sint-Katelijnestraat.

STIB and the City of Brussels have reached a consensus on the reorganization of public transport stops in the project area:

• The bus stop on Zwarte Lievevrouwstraat will be removed
• The bus station on Augustijnenstraat will be transformed into a stop for transit buses
• The bus stop on Bisschopsstraat will be retained and will be equipped with a bus shelter
• Two new stops with shelters will be built on Visverkopersstraat. They will bear the stop name Beurs.

The driving direction on Hallenstraat and Kiekenmarkt will be temporarily changed due to the Brucity works. The original driving direction (from Kiekenmarkt to Bisschopsstraat) will be restored after these works are finished.

Hallenstraat will become a pedestrian zone with a reconstruction at the same level. A retractable pole will be placed at the entrance to the street. Access will be reserved exclusively for residents of the Grétry building, which has a private garage for 65 vehicles, local residents, emergency services and deliveries.

The road surface will be identical to that of the Central Boulevards (granite and blue stone).

There will be six different green areas and six trees will be planted (2 Corylus colurna 'VDB Obelisk', 2 Ginkgo biloba 'Tremonia', 2 Acer freemanii 'Armstrong Two'). Various seating elements will be integrated around the green areas.

Between the green areas, 40 bicycle racks will be installed.

There will be an installation of 6 artistic light strips on the side of the Brucity building and 16 ordinary lamp posts.

Part of this has already been constructed as part of the reconstruction of the Central Boulevards. To ensure one visual whole on both portions of the street, it will be identically repaved.

A retractable bollard will be placed at the street exit to shield traffic.

Four trees with grids will be planted and four lamp posts provided.

Visverkopersstraat will be transformed into a cycle street. The 6.5 m wide roadway will be concreted with two ochre-coloured concrete strips in each direction of 1.80 m each.

The contraflow bus/taxi/bike direction will be maintained to the north. The symmetrical side walks of 4.35 m width will be paved in platines, with 2 green areas and 5 trees with grills on the odd house side.

The existing lamp posts will be retained.

A bus stop will be placed in each direction of traffic. The stops will be provided with a wheelchair accessible curb at a height of +18 cm from the finished pavement level. Access will be provided through ramps (5%) for the accessibility of persons with limited mobility.

Zwarte Lievevrouwstraat will have the same road profile as Visverkopersstraat and will have the status of a cycle street. The 6.5 m wide roadway will be concreted with two ochre-coloured concrete strips in each direction of 1.80 m each. The contraflow bus/taxi/bike direction will be maintained to the north.

The pavement on the Brucity side, 3.44 m wide, will be covered with a mixture of blue stone and granite, while the pavement on the odd side, 5.7 m wide, will be covered with platines.

There will be a succession of 13 trees consisting of two species, including 6 Quercus robur 'Fastigiata Koster' and 7 Acers campestre 'Green Column', planted alternately.

To accentuate the public thoroughfare in the Brucity building, a small plaza will be created at the intersection of Joseph Plateaustraat and Melsensstraat. The 'plaza' feeling will be enhanced with a construction of reinforced concrete in which blue stone is incorporated.

The artwork 'The centenary of the cinema' will be replaced by a remarkable standard tree (Pinus sylvestris) around which a bench and greenbelts will be placed. This plaza, also located in the middle of Grétrystraat, will be paved primarily with bluestone and sawn porphyry on the drivable part.

There will be thirteen lamp posts, placed on the even side of the street.

The part of Lakensestraat between Augustijnenstraat and Bisschopsstraat, will also be constructed as a cycle street. The 6.5 m wide roadway will be concreted with two ochre-coloured concrete strips in each direction of 1.80 m each. The contraflow bus/taxi/bike direction will be maintained to the north.

The 3.66 m wide pavement on the even house side is paved with platinum sandstone clinkers.

The plaza behind the Multi Tower will be repaved with a mixture of blue stone and granite. Concrete benches with wooden backs and seats will be placed in the green areas as well as a picnic bench. Three new trees will be planted including 2 salvage trees (an existing Zelkova (multi-stemmed) and Carpinus betulus) and a white flowering tree (Cornus 'Eddie's). One new standard tree, Quercus frainetto, will be planted to replace an American elm that will be felled. The logs of the latter will be used to create works of art.

This section of the street will be illuminated by the seven existing mast lamps and four similar lamps attached to the Multi Tower facade.

The section of Bisschopsstraat between Lakensestraat and Anspachlaan will be repaved with identical materials to the Central Boulevards.

The width of the roadway will be reduced to 6 m with pavements becoming +/- 8.50 m wide as a result.

Along the Multi Tower, a row of 5 tallest trees (Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Goldrush') will be planted, 4 of them in the two green zones and one with a grid.

A bus stop with a bus shelter will be built between Hallenstraat and Anspachlaan. The stop will also be provided with a wheelchair accessible curb at a height of +18 cm from the finished pavement level. Access will be provided via ramps (5%) for the accessibility of persons with limited mobility.

On Bisschopsstraat, the parking entrances and delivery zone of Brucity are provided.

The lighting consists of eight existing lighting points on the facade of the Multi Tower.

To create an uninterrupted visual whole, the profile and paving materials will be identical to those of the section of Wolvengracht recently constructed as part of the Central Boulevards redevelopment.

The roadway to Lakensestraat will be narrowed to 5.5 m. The bus stop will be equipped with a wheelchair accessible curb at a height of +18 cm from the finished pavement level. Access will be provided via ramps (5%) for the accessibility of persons with limited mobility. A side lane will be maintained to allow traffic during bus stop time.

A second lane, 2.5 m wide, will be constructed to allow vehicles coming from Lakensestraat to access the Multi Tower parking lot.

The existing Interparking access ramp will be filled in during the building renovation works.

A green zone will be created in which 3 trees (Corylus colurna) will be planted. There will also be two isolated trees (Sophora japonicum 'Fleright') that will be provided with grids.

A delivery area will be established on the side of the Multi Tower and 10 bicycle racks will be installed.

The street will be illuminated by the 8 existing lights attached to the Multi Tower facade on one side.

As part of the study on mobility at the Pentagon city centre (Good Move), it is proposed to make Sint-Katelijneplein, between Zaterdagplein and Lakensestraat, a one-way street, in the direction of Lakensestraat.

This one-way traffic is accompanied by the obligation to turn left onto Lakensestraat. The introduction of these two complementary measures meets the objectives of Good Move, as it allows the elimination of the west-east transit routes between Kaaienwijk and the upper part of the city, particularly thanks to the obligation to turn left onto Lakensestraat.

Local accessibility will be maintained. For example, the public parking in Augustijnenstraat will also remain accessible from the Kaaienwijk, through the possibility of turning left when leaving Sint-Katelijneplein and through the introduction of two-way traffic on part of Augustijnenstraat. Local traffic from the Kaaienwijk, including vendors, will also have an additional option to exit the Pentagon directly via Lakensestraat.

This roadway will be paved with sawn porphyry paving stones. The pavements of +/- 10.3 m width will be reconstructed with the same sandstone paving stones as the existing ones.

Three tallest trees (Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Goldrush') will be planted from the even house side.

The 7 light points on poles will be retained.

The perimeter consists primarily of a mineral environment and is susceptible to heat cycling and other effects of 'Urban heating'.

Currently, the permeable surface consists of 283.3 m of the total 15,280 m or 1.85% of the total surface.

The project provides a total greening area of 908.2 m, this represents a 5.94% increase across the current condition where water can naturally infiltrate the soil.

Furthermore, we are combating urban heat islands by planting tall-stemmed and multi-stemmed trees that will contribute to cooling. These will significantly improve the local climate thanks to the reduction of incident solar radiation through shading as well as evaporation.

Trees help cool the temperature by 2°C on average and the green areas will help in terms of water collection and evaporation. This evaporation also provides a cooling effect.

The works have no significant impact on the groundwater or drainage to the trees, since the initial situation is completely paved and the rainwater is drained via the sewerage network.

In the future project, this condition will remain unchanged, except that some of the storm water run-off will be used for the green areas. The rainwater coming from the footpaths will be collected in the plant beds. This will relieve the existing sewerage network during heavy rainfall.

The rainwater coming from the road will not be collected in the planting zones due to the pollution coming from motorized traffic and possibly road salt, in order to prevent damage to the plants.

The planting choices in the green areas also take into account their water consumption and resistance during drought periods.

The permit application for the reconstruction was submitted to the Region in July 2021. A public inquiry and a Consultation Committee were organised as part of the proceedings.

The public enquiry ran from 12 January 2022 to 10 February 2022. For 30 days, red posters were hung in the perimeter to announce this public enquiry. Everyone had the opportunity to review the External site construction file online or at the City's Town Planning Department and to comment on the plans.

The Consultation Committee took place on 23 February 2022. At this Consultation Committee, the plans were presented and attendees could ask questions or voice any objections. The Consultation Committee then issued an outcome to which the project had to be adjusted.

The planning permit was granted in July 2022.

As with any reconstruction project, utilities were given the first opportunity to renew their facilities (until the end of 2022). More information via julien.mille@brucity.be.

Works

The first phase of the works was announced at the beginning of 2023: the redevelopment of the Rue du Marché aux Poulets between the Rue des Halles and the Rue des Poissonniers.

The entire project will last 1.5 years. These works are divided into several phases.

• Redevelopment works at the Brucity area
• Presentation of the Brucity surroundings yard (PDF, 5.42 MB)
• Info session. Reconstruction of the Rue de la Vierge Noire (10 February 2023)