Rives Ardentes, future eco-district of Liège, steaming ahead

With this ‘symbolic’ laying of the first stone of the Rives Ardentes eco-district, the public-private partners, City of Liège and NEO-LEGIA, want to highlight the way in which their initial ambitions take shape on the ground today.

This new way of living in town is an example of a plan for the future. The Rives Ardentes district unites the residential function, work and life, bringing soft mobility, eco-responsibility and quality of life to the fore. All generations are perfectly at home here, which is confirmed by the great success of the sales. To date, more than 140 of the 200 homes already approved have been reserved.

Today, the Mayor and the consortium of developers symbolically kicked off the construction works. Guests boarded at the Île Monsin and sailed to Coronmeuse where they had a sneak preview of the future.µ

Willy Demeyer, Mayor of Liège: “Developing this programme, in partnership with the private sector, within the innovative legal framework of the Competitive Dialogue, is a first in Wallonia. Both in terms of its scale and its characteristics. And we can be proud of this. I am also very pleased that 10% of the housing has been reserved for people on average incomes, which allows for a social mix, an integral part of the Liège spirit.”

Frédéric Loriaux, Managing Director of CIT Blaton: “Rives Ardentes is a quintessential sustainable project in Belgium. We chose to keep 80% of the total surface area as open space. We consciously opted for quality of life and soft mobility. Therefore, we are building an underground car park with 1 000 parking spaces. The eco-district will also be served by the new tram line. Rives Ardentes will be a car-free, nature-friendly district, respectful of its cultural heritage: we are renovating the historic buildings of the Équerre and of the Grand Palais, which we can integrate perfectly with this modern concept in mind.”

Dirk Van Rompaey, Manager Civil Engineering Works at Jan De Nul Group: “We also opted resolutely for eco-responsibility in the implementation of construction works, by reusing the crushed excavated foundations for road and sand sub-foundations, and by remediating the sites and removing excavated soil by inland water transport. The remediation works were funded by the European FEDER Fund and SPAQUE. So far, we removed 71,000 m³ of materials – of which earthworks, paving stones, asphalt, as well as concrete. This enabled us to save 1 300 lorryloads. Our ecological footprint is considerably reduced, which is perfectly in tune with the principles of this eco-district project Rives Ardentes.”

On the 25-hectare (62 acre) site at Coronmeuse, NEO-LEGIA are developing the new Rives Ardentes eco-district in partnership with the City of Liège. The redevelopment of this district that hosted the International Exhibitions of 1930 and 1939, was awarded to NEO-LEGIA in 2017.

This is a project with a mix of functions: 1 325 dwellings of miscellaneous typologies will be created, as well as office spaces, local shops, restaurants and services, a service residence, two crèches, sports facilities...

The notable buildings of the Equerre and of the Grand Palais will be renovated and will include new functions.

About 80% of the total surface area of the project is set aside for green open space, including parks, gardens and water features, and a square with a fountain.

Rives Ardentes will be linked to the wider area by a newly-built tram line, a marina and two bridges for cyclists and pedestrians.