Public Produciton
Transformation of Schaerbeek in Brussels
Assignment
In the studio of Freek Persyn, at the Labratory of Urban Transformation, various groups of students developed a contribution to a potential development in Brussels using a wide range of strategies. The starting point was a large plot of land in the north-east of Brussels known as the Schaerbeck Formation. The area, which was formerly used by the railroad as a marshalling yard, is now one of the last vacant areas in the city of Brussels. The area is under increasing pressure from various parties. The students should make a contribution to the development of the area.
Concept
Brussels has a long tradition of industry within the city. It is a declared aim of the city council to bring production back to the city and specifically to Schaerbeek Formation. During a field study in Brussels, we discovered different types of production and how they interact with the public. Often this didn't seem to work and instead of a concrete project, we decided to develop a tool to improve the interaction between production and the public. And did aks ourselves wether we need boundaries between public and productive spaces?
We examined various industrial areas in Zurich and developed a catalog of elements. The elements were examined and assessed in terms of their function in production and the public sphere. Which built structures, elements and details change people's behavior and enable them to linger in productive areas?
In a workshop, an attempt was then made to change the quality of existing places by adding elements, resulting in hybrid typologies. How do you integrate public functions into the closed, productive box?
A further catalog of typologies then emerged from these newly created hybrids. What potential do we find in hybrid configurations?
And in a final step, the resulting findings were transferred back to Brussels. We selected various locations from the productive city and created different scenarios for a productive public quarter. How can these catalogs become a tool for urban transformations in industrial areas?
