Remember the old port of Brussels? The Quartier Maritime was once the city’s belly. The Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canal brought boats through the Rivage Gate. Today that’s Yser Square. These boats joined canals. Each dock was for a specific type of good.
In the 19th century, the new port of Brussels opened. The canals were filled. They were replaced by wide boulevards. These boulevards still hold memories in their names. Quai aux Briques is now Brick Wharf. Quai au Bois à Brûler is Firewood Wharf.
Wealthy merchants once lived along these quays. Their bourgeois houses still have entrances to old warehouses. On Ypres Boulevard, you can still find food wholesalers. Trucks now supply them, replacing the boats.
The Gare Maritime is a key part of the Quartier Maritime’s story. It was built between 1902 and 1907. Back then it was Europe’s largest covered freight depot. In 2001, real-estate developers bought the area. They started a new era for the railway station.
The Gare Maritime is huge. It measures 276 by 138 meters. It has seven aisles. It wasn’t historically protected. Yet, it was worth preserving.
Architects Neutelings Riedijk and Bureau Bouwtechniek found a solution. They added twelve three-story solid-wood buildings inside. These buildings hold offices and retail spaces. Open, sculptural stairways connect them. These stairways also serve as emergency pathways.
Most of the in-builds are in the four outer aisles. The middle three aisles form a public esplanade. The architects compare it to Barcelona’s Ramblas. Landscape planners from Omgeving studio designed ten themed gardens for this space.
The Gare Maritime’s historical structure now forms the thermal shell. It was modernized and insulated. Jan de Moffarts Architecten led this effort. The goal was to meet Brussels’ energy regulations. The roof has 17,000 square meters of photovoltaic modules. These make the building a zero-energy structure.
The inside of the wooden ceiling was sandblasted. It was then remounted onto steel frames. These frames support the halls. The windows have electrochromic glass. Sensors darken the panes automatically. This eliminates the need for exterior sunshades.
Ten geothermal probes and a heat pump provide energy-efficient heating and cooling. The architects even considered dismantling the building later. The laminated timber beams are screwed together. This helps with recyclability and logistics. Heavy transport vehicles couldn’t maneuver inside the halls.
Extensa purchased the Tour & Taxis site in 2001. The Gare Maritime renovation cost €60 million. Willem-Jan Neutelings wanted to keep it simple. He didn’t want to fight “the iron lady”. That’s what he called the structure.
Neutelings created a city where it never rains. The interior building blocks follow the existing structure’s rhythm. The feeling is like a lively Mediterranean city. It’s pleasant to stroll through all seasons.
Extensa wanted the scheme to be future-proof. They designed it with a circular philosophy. They used 10,000 cubic meters of wood. Every connection is mechanical. In theory, they can dismantle the buildings if needed.
Adding 10,000 photovoltaic panels to the roof was a key focus. The solar panels should supply 100% of the Gare Maritime neighborhood’s power. This transformation has turned the Gare Maritime into a vibrant part of Brussels. It blends history with modern sustainability.