What is it about?
In 2021, the City of Brussels adopted a masterplan for the Van Praet zone of regional interest and its surroundings, at the entrance to Neder-Over-Heembeek. This strategic plan clearly defines the programmes for the different construction zones. The development of a new neighbourhood on this site is intended to establish a high-quality link between the city centre and the canal industrial zone.
Block 2A/2B of the Van Praet zone will be the site of a new French-speaking local secondary school, capable of accommodating around 700 pupils, as well as 82 public housing units. The school's programme includes:
- A 6-storey building along the Rue des Croix de Guerre, comprising the reception area, upper secondary classrooms, sports halls and a performance hall/theatre on the ground floor. The performance hall, equipped with a 140-seat retractable tier and with a stage 11.2 m wide, can accommodate around 300 people in "stage" configuration, offering great flexibility. The rooftop gym offers a bird's eye view of the park and forecourt. These facilities will be accessible to local residents outside school hours.
- A 5-storey building inside the block, housing the lower secondary classrooms and a caretaker's housing unit on the top floor
- A 2-storey building linking the first two buildings, with areas dedicated to workshops
- A curved, 2-storey building housing the refectory, with a capacity of 352 places
The school will also benefit from an educational garden, located at the end of the triangular park, adjacent to the second row of trees on the former Avenue des Croix de Guerre. The garden will be used as an experimental vegetable garden and educational resource to raise awareness among pupils of environmental issues.
Near the school, four residential buildings of varying heights from three to nine storeys will be built around a central courtyard. The ground floors will house commercial and community spaces, while the upper floors will accommodate 82 housing units ranging from studios to five-bedroom apartments, to meet a wide range of residential needs.
A dead-end road will provide access from the Chaussée de Vilvorde to the school and housing.
What purpose?
This project meets the following ambitions and objectives:
- Guaranteeing affordable housing for everyone
- Increasing the proportion of 3-bedroom+ homes in the Brussels housing stock aimed at families
- Supporting local businesses
- Rationalising the management and use of communal sites by applying the concept of chrono-urbanism
- Responding to the lack of public, sports and cultural facilities
- Encouraging the reconcentration of the city's facilities and services within multi-purpose, shared neighbourhood facilities hubs
- Taking advantage of new projects to develop communal vegetable gardens wherever possible
