Usquare Feder

City as a quarry

Usquare.brussels is the conversion of the former Ixelles/Elsene gendarmerie barracks into an open, mixed and multifunctional district, welcoming in particular the ULB and VUB communities. Based on a detailed analysis of the elements present on-site, the renovation project, led by the SAU/MSI for the Brussels Capital Region, seeks to enhance the qualities of the existing heritage. As the first stage in a complete renovation of the site, the project for the buildings on the Boulevard Général Jacques and the Avenue de la Couronne, supported by the universities, embodies a thoroughly circular approach and will also serve as a model for later construction phases on the site. The dismantling of several neighbouring buildings provides the project with 'waste streams' that can be converted into repurposed raw materials. For example, bricks and glazing are being reused and other raw materials recycled and used as flooring. New building materials are bio-based, such as (acoustic) clay plasters and hempcrete. In this way, the project manages to greatly reduce the inflow and outflow of building materials, thus reducing CO2 emissions.