‘For me, the innovative neighborhoods of tomorrow, like Metzeschmelz, will adopt a circular approach to resource management and exemplary behavior in terms of sustainability’. These are the words of Alexandre Londot, Director of Operations at AGORA, summing up the thinking shared by his contributors Yves Biwer, Director and coordinator of the Metzeschmelz project, and Jean-Philippe Lemaire, founder of IDES Engineering. D’une friche industrielle désertée jusqu’à un quartier mixte à impact environnemental minimal, le chemin est pavé de grandes innovations.
A virtuous loop of diversity, circularity and heritage
Let’s try to summarize. We could sum up the innovative character of the future Metzeschmelz district in three major sustainability criteria. Firstly, the district is designed based on its heritage, creating new uses for elements of the former industrial site. Secondly, Metzeschmelz is designed according to a ‘functional mix’ principle, to bring together all needs on a single urban site and reduce the need for motorized travel. Finally, the district is based on an innovative system of circular resource management, promising to reuse as much water and energy as possible.
For me, an innovative district of our time must have the lowest possible environmental impact, thanks to the rational use of its resources,’ says Yves Biwer, director and coordinator of the Metzeschmelz project. It affects every aspect of urban planning and neighborhood life.
Celebrating an industrial past
Few industrial wastelands like this one, where the Esch-Schifflange steelworks once stood, can be transformed while preserving so many traces of the past. The Metzeschmelz project, like the neighboring Belval district, enhances heritage structures as a priority. Here, the approach is not museum-like. Far from it. Rather, it’s about giving new life to the old factories, transforming and upgrading them to ensure that they can continue to operate in the future.
’For me, revitalizing industrial heritage is not only a strong gesture for the identity of the district, but it is also an innovative practice insofar as it reduces the use of new materials and the site’s carbon footprint,’ summarizes Alexandre Londot, Director of Operations. It also invites architects to be creative and encourages the AGORA team to develop innovative concepts to attract buyers.
Endless cycles of resources
Symbiosis. This is the name given by AGORA to the concept of an ‘all-round circular district’ developed for Metzeschmelz. From energy supply to water distribution and waste management, all resources are brought together in intelligent networks to create a district in which, for example, rainwater is recovered and treated for reuse in toilet bowls, or in which waste becomes material to create biomass, which in turn is a source of energy.
‘For me, what’s innovative about this concept is that it dares to consider each element in terms of its interconnectedness,’ explains Jean-Philippe Lemaire, civil engineer and founder of IDES Engineering. It’s the result of a new sensibility, imposed by climate change, which encourages us to rethink our uses to bring them closer to the way nature works, where all these elements are interconnected’.
Demanding sustainability criteria
In these times of ecological transition, governments are introducing new laws and regulations to protect the environment. Some see these as paralyzing constraints. In reality, they are often conducive to innovation!
‘For me, the current context has been a driving force, pushing us to be bold’, says Jean-Philippe Lemaire. In addition to the Luxembourg framework, we took an interest in the laws of neighboring countries, the UN’s sustainability criteria and the recommendations of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports. We also carried out a technology watch and compiled best practices from all over Europe, to inspire us and to try to do as well, or even better!
Functional diversity, the key to an attractive neighborhood
Gone are the days when large cities were divided into neighborhoods with a single function: industrial on one side, commercial on the other, business and residential on the other. The innovation lies in rejecting these past partitions and inventing neighborhoods with mixed functions, where it’s good to live and where you can combine work, shopping, culture, and housing. Neighborhoods designed in this way are livelier and more attractive.
‘For me, neighborhoods like these not only meet all the needs of residents but also encourage them to reduce the use of their private car or any other individual motorized vehicle, which is one of the most effective ways of reducing the carbon footprint of cities,’ emphasizes Yves Biwer.
Clearly, the Metzeschmelz example paves the way for other experiments, where the principles of circularity and mixed use could be combined with emerging technologies and innovative community approaches. A real laboratory for the future.
