The last piece of the puzzle in Belval, in the Belval South quarter, AGORA wants to develop a universe for a comfortable family life in the heart of the urban density and the hectic bustle of the city. Multiplying the forms of housing for young families while avoiding the housing estate effect, the new quarter will offer a peaceful and green setting in the immediate vicinity of Um Belval Park. See you in the near future, as told by architect Frank Wallenborn and development manager Jean-Xavier Foidart.
It’s the last link in the chain. At the south-east end of Belval, adjacent to the large park and Bel-Val High School, the future neighbourhood already houses a primary school. It’s the ideal quarter to settle down with your family without missing out on the urban lifestyle so dear to young metropolitan adults
“Belval South will be a distinct neighbourhood. It will function as a stand-alone area with all functions, from local shops to offices, services and housing,” explains Frank Wallenborn. The quarter, which is separated from the Square Mile and the Terrasse des Hauts Fourneaux by Um Belval Park, made this mix and independence necessary. It will have its own identity from a profile really focused on family life, but we also want it connected to the urban energy of Belval, in step with the urban lifestyle. It will be a dense neighbourhood, yet it will have small private gardens and single-family homes.”
We already know that this quarter will be a great success,” predicts Jean-Xavier Foidart. There are few living spaces of this kind in the south of Luxembourg. Even elsewhere, in neighbouring countries. Residential housing blocks are often located on busy roads and do not offer the same quality of environment.”
Brief typology of a family quarter
“Belval South will be a mosaic of diversified typologies. For example, there will be buildings of up to 50 units on the central boulevard, which will have a more traditionally urban profile, but also, on the outskirts of the quarter, single-family homes that open onto green areas,” explains the development manager.
The further away from the main boulevard you go, the more different types of housing you will find. You can live in a classical apartment, in a semi-detached house, in a single-family house with 3 or 4 façades and a small private garden, in a joint ownership apartment with basement parking, or in an apartment with a roof garden on the top floors of a duplex house.
“I find this last formula promising, in which two duplex apartments fit one on top of the other and each has its own garden, one on the first floor, the other on the roof,” emphasises Frank Wallenborn. “It creates floor space, to optimise the area of the quarter, while providing two living units for families who will have all the comforts of a house without the drawbacks. I have great hopes that people will respond positively.”
A kingdom for children
Within a five-minute walk of each block, there will be a playground. The urban planners and landscape designers who worked on the project wanted to multiply these play spaces throughout the quarter, on small green spaces punctuating family walks. To the north, on a promenade reminiscent of the Waassertrap in Belval North, a large multi-generational recreational park will offer activities and games of all kinds.
“There will also be a protected wooded area. It has always existed on this territory and will be preserved in its original state. Here, too, there are small, informal playgrounds that allow local children to enjoy the natural wooded setting, to let their creativity run free and to have their best adventures.”
Adult life also counts
The Square Mile and the Terrace des Hauts Fourneaux are still accessible within minutes. But it is not necessary to go so far: Belval South will have its own urban boulevard with a central urban avenue, where there will be terraces. A sort of Barcelona Rambla in the heart of Belval!
“These will be wide pavements where you can walk and discover places to stroll,” adds Frank Wallenborn. We wanted to ensure that transport and social life coexist harmoniously on this avenue, which will also be used by the trams and local residents’ vehicles or delivery vehicles. It is a place that I imagine to be where neighbours meet in the evening on the terraces of cafés and restaurants.”
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