RE:WORK (BRUSSELS )                                                                                                                  NOVEMBER 2012
URBANISM WORKSHOP              

In November 2012 students from Brussels, Manchester, Bordeaux and Barcelona participated in a two-week urbanism workshop in Brussels. Under the heading 'Making Place for Industry, Logistics and wholesale in Brussels' students and young architects investigated the transformations of the metropolis in times of crisis and the role of architecture and urbanism in the development of new urban economies and the diversification of the European City.

More than ever, our economical limitations force us to rethink the use of our cities major infrastructures. In Brussels, existing rail and maritime infrastructures, currently obsolete could be used to reactivate new industries and logistic capabilities in the city. This could help to resolve some of the growing socio-economic problems affecting the city and provide manual labour and lower qualified jobs, helping to reduce growing levels of unemployment.

In groups of eight, students were asked to study one of six selected areas and form a carefully considered strategy which could tackle the socio-economic problems defined in the initial briefing. At the centre of our strategy was the idea that education and re-education could act as a catalyst to develop a new workforce capable of working in specialized sectors set up on our site.

Exiting facilities, such as the nearby engineering campus as well as rail and canal infrastructures which connect the site to a wider transport network, acted as a preliminary platform from which to build on, whilst the introduction of new training programs to provide businesses with skilled workers might encourage the growth of new industries in the area. The proposal added new housing and took existing listed buildings to be used for arts, culture and leisure and added new facilities to serve the new population. It is hoped that these new facilities would not only be used by local people but also by some of the thousands who flock to the hugely popular old meat market across the river. A new walkway linking the market to this area plus new public spaces and improved accessibility such as bike lanes and transport links could bring people to the area and reactivate this once thriving industrial landscape.