| Project Id |
3325 |
| Project Name |
Tour à Plomb, Belgium |
| Description |
The industrial complex of Tour à Plomb, alias Brussels shot tower, was built in 1832 as a gunpowder factory (poudrière). Subsequently, a foundry and a workshop were established and in 1898 the shot tower was constructed. In 1873, the industrial site became the property of the company Pelgrim and Bombeeck and in the 1930s it became part of the Hoboken Overpelt Metallurgry (Mardaga, 1975). In 1962 the site was abandoned. Since 1975, it was partially used by the Arts and Crafts institute and the Bischoffsheim Institute (high school) and successfully by the Demot-Couvreur Institute (high school). Since the 2000s, the complex was unused. |
| Description of the economic, social and environmental impacts of the project |
Impact of new uses. The adaptive reuse restituted to the neighborhood a part of its industrial heritage. This socio-cultural, and educational center is completely dedicated to the neighborhood activities. The current site is composed of a theater and gymnasium hall open to neighborhood initiatives on the ground floor, a hall with a bar in the basement, offices and a mezzanine linked to the theatre on the first floor, and on the third floor a multipurpose hall/library. On the 2nd floor five classrooms and a teachers' room were added for the use of the high school next door, Demot-Couvreur Institute, while the school’s courtyard was refurbished with repurposed materials reused from the site. The multipurpose spaces for the school and the neighborhood’s associations strengthened the neighborhood's social cohesion and created a hub for community activities and cultural exchange. The tower is visitable once a year during the annual heritage day in Brussels. |
| Web links |
https://www.bruxelles.be/touraplomb |
| Country |
Belgium |
| City size |
Metropolis (between 1 and 10 million people) |
