The design team GAFPA, RE-ST, Kollektif and Suunta has been appointed to develop a new master plan for the Schaarbeeklei Oost zone, a 150-metre-wide strip between Schaarbeeklei and the railway line, north of the viaduct in Vilvoorde. This historic industrial area, with the former Renault factory as its most prominent relic, has been designated a lever site and will be transformed into a dynamic environment with various urban functions.

Under the guidance of Team Vlaams Bouwmeester and on behalf of the City of Vilvoorde, the design team is working on an overarching vision that brings together urban development, mobility, landscape, public space and architecture. The landscape forms the basis for research into softening, the reinterpretation of factory remnants as “intelligent ruins”, the integration of mixed programme functions and the preservation of the site’s iconic value.