Launching of the eco-district RIVES ARDENTES in Liège
More than 25 hectares redeveloped into housing, retail and offices, including 200,000 m² of green spaces and public spaces open to all, along the Meuse.
The beginning of this year marked the starting point for the first phase of the RIVES ARDENTES real estate project, which will ultimately cover an area of 25 hectares – the equivalent of 37 football pitches. A total of 1325 housing units will be developed : flats, individual houses, cohousing units and kangaroo houses, but also offices, a home for the elderly, a hotel, shops, a marina and its harbour master’s office, and of course green spaces. The difference with other projects is that the latter will be open to everyone. The inhabitants of Liège and the surrounding area will not only be able to walk around in these spaces, but also along the marina and the Meuse River. A mixture of water and nature, a first for a real estate project of this kind, designed entirely by Belgian design offices (town planners, road planners, engineers and architects) including BUUR, GESPLAN, LUMILUX and ACHER, SYNTAXE, AAST, ARTAU and ALTIPLAN, and developed in partnership with the City of Liège.
An ecological and sustainable project
One of the most remarkable aspects of this new district is that no cars will be allowed on the site. The whole project revolves around soft mobility. All parking space for cars will be situated underground. The RIVES ARDENTES site, located 5 minutes from the city centre of Liege, can count on public transport services, bus, boat and tram.
"Beyond this aspect, Rives Ardentes is the only true 100% Belgian eco-district. It is created using only sustainable materials: bricks, aluminium frames, rock wool for insulation, a heating network and solar panels, as well as a system for waste management and disposal and for the recovery and infiltration of rainwater".
Valérie Loriaux, Project Manager of NEO LEGIA
Open spaces such as parks, gardens, vegetable gardens and waterways will represent a little over 80% of the total surface area of the RIVES ARDENTES site. There are very few comparable projects. The initiators of the project wanted to take advantage of the location of the banks of the Darse to create a new marina, which not only meets the need for space for boats that can no longer moor in the port of Liège, but also provides the inhabitants with a new place to live, walk and entertain themselves.
"It is undoubtedly a model district in terms of sustainability, not only in Belgium but also throughout Europe. Our objective with Rives Ardentes is to be able to offer the future inhabitants large green spaces, but also varied flats and original houses, including those with direct proximity to the water, which is unique in Liège".
François Prüm, director of NEO LEGIA
A project supported by the City of Liège
The City of Liège supports the RIVES ARDENTES project, not only because it rehabilitates the Coronmeuse site but also because it proposes the creation of a genuine new ecosystem, sharing a social and urban planning point of view.
Indeed, from 2023 onwards, offices, shops, a child care facility and houses adapted for the elderly will be built in the Rives Ardentes project. In addition, beyond the generational mix developed in particular thanks to the kangaroo houses, the housing proposed also responds to a concern for social mix: 10% of each lot will be reserved for housing for middle-income earners.
"The city of Liège will experience an increase in population in the coming years with an increase in both single-parent households and families. The RIVES ARDENTES project responds to these developments and aims to offer housing models that allow for a social mix, with some of the houses meant for people on moderate incomes and kangaroo housing for senior citizens. These elements appealed to us, as did the project's ecological and sustainable vocation".
Willy Demeyer, Mayor of the City of Liege
"We are delighted that the project is rehabilitating these 25 hectares of the City of Liège. The eco-district proposal develops a mix of functions, with soft mobility, green spaces, an ecosystem, water points,... It will offer a new, pleasant living environment and a breath of fresh air to its future inhabitants, but also to the people of Liège as a whole".
Christine Defraigne, First Alderman for Urban Planning of the City of Liège
The marketing of the first 200 units starts today.
The RIVES ARDENTES construction site, as well as the marketing of the first units has recently started. 200 units will be put up for sale: 159 flats and 41 single-family houses. These first units are built around the marina. They offer flats with 1 to 4 bedrooms as well as houses with 3 or 4 bedrooms. Delivery of these first units is planned for the end of 2022, beginning of 2023. The first phase of the works also includes the installation of 20 commercial lots, several of which will be used for the catering industry.
"We are delighted to see the project come to life and look forward to the future occupants moving in within two years. In addition, the people of Liège will soon be able to come and enjoy the green spaces and new facilities at the marina".
Valérie Loriaux, Project Manager of NEO LEGIA