Once upon a time there was Esch-Schifflange and its new quarter “Metzeschmelz”
Ideally located between Esch-sur-Alzette and Schifflange, about one kilometre from each town centre, this industrial wasteland shows enormous redevelopment potential as part of the “Metzeschmelz” project. Designed and managed by AGORA, this new quarter will be unique in Luxembourg with a totally innovative urban planning approach that puts people at…
When Belval became an integral part of a Unesco biosphere reserve
“Saving nature is saving mankind. “This is how we could sum up the mission of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere programme,” Gaëlle Tavernier tells us. Belval is fully committed to this major objective.
When urban planning draws on history
We are in 1850, between Belvaux and Esch. It’s Sunday and families are dressed in their Sunday best to stroll through what is now a recreational area full of nature. It must be said that the forest growing here, the “Escher Bësch”, is a very popular place. Also known as…
Central Square, an ambitious design concept
Summer 2020. In the Square Mile car park, the first items of machinery appeared around the sintering ponds of the former sintering plant. urther to the west, power shovels are working to prepare the ground on which the first three buildings of the quarter will gradually be erected. Millenium, Twist,…
Belval: contemporary urban planning promotes heritage and reinvents it
In Belval, AGORA has not been satisfied with just promoting the conservation of the former steel installations of ArcelorMittal (formerly Arbed). From the very first reflections on the future of the site, it became clear that they should play a key role in urban life. They had to be given…
The future Central Square district, the vibrant heart of the Square Mile
Let's jump forward three years on the calendar: here we are in 2023. You are a proud new resident of Central Square. The sun caresses the picture windows of your apartment, immersing the kitchen in a warm light in the early morning. Through the window the blast furnaces are thrown…
Terrasse des Hauts-Fourneaux, a symbol of the past which has become a flagship quarter
They can be seen more than 10 kilometres away. The closer you get to the blast furnaces, the more spectacular their shimmering cylindrical structures and sky-scraping cages appear. And yet they remain a model of sobriety of its type. There has been no reduction in number of pipes in which…
Belval, an ambitious urban project at European Level
First-time visitors to Belval are dazzled by the imposing character of the blast furnaces and the university quarter built on the industrial remains of the former site. There is good reason. Even AGORA collaborators, though they are experts who have seen others, continue to be impressed by the scale of…