Innovatie Campus Machelen-Vilvoorde

The ‘Reconversiegebied’ is a large industrial area in the Brussels periphery. It’s dominated by heavy infrastructural clusters and large, abandoned, industrial compounds. The area suffers from high unemployment rates, an undereducated population, pollution, congestion, and a myriad of other urban issues...

ORG developed a strategic masterplan for the area. The proposal aims to radically transform the area into an urban environment: Urban densities allow for high-quality public transit, create space for greenery and water features, and offer pleasant public spaces with opportunities for job creation.

The masterplan focuses on one key site: a 10ha brownfield on a strategic location in the area. The development of the site could trigger a great urban leap for the entire region.

ORG's plan introduced a new type of urban development potential, that tightly intertwines industrial and productive spaces with other vital urban functions. This novel approach (re)connects production and consumption, hands and minds, working and leisure into a 21^st-century cityscape.

Through many iterations, the plan has been developed through a co-creation process with the private investors, the local community, and local authorities.