Tivoli

The Tivoli neighbourhood is located in a perimeter defined by the Molenbeekstraat, the Wautierstraat, the Tivolistraat and the Claessensstraat in Laeken. The project encompasses various functions: 397 housing units (a mix of 271 affordable and 126 social housing units), 7 commercial spaces, 2 crèches, 1 space for the City of Brussels’ public cleanliness cell, 291 underground car parks and space for more than 650 bicycle parking spaces. All of this is located between several newly constructed slow-traffic roads, squares and parks conceived as biodiversity laboratories.

In this way, Tivoli is redeveloping an undeveloped site, which now makes the link between the industrial zone of the Port of Brussels and an existing, dense residential area in Laeken. It was a major challenge to weave this new district into the already existing dense and mixed urban environment. Citizen participation was central to this project, so a sustainability charter was signed by the residents in order to establish a number of objectives and agreements with each other.

In terms of building techniques and energy management, the Tivoli neighbourhood can also be seen as a model project. All the buildings on the site are passive and 30% of the homes meet the zero energy criteria. 5 waste sorting sites, 424 kW peak solar panels, one central boiler room, 10 vegetable gardens and various green roofs, 10 water infiltration basins, 5 rainwater and 10 greywater recovery tanks and a 90 m² experimental greenhouse ensure that Tivoli can be regarded as a smart and ecological district.