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[Note: The information below is available in German, French and English and can be downloaded here or requested from the competition manager.]
Overall, the urban district of Belval is divided into four development modules, the Cité des sciences with its restored, imposing backdrop of smelting furnaces, the Square Mile, the Park Belval and the Belval residential quarter.
The subject of the planned competition is the redesign and revitalisation of the two former sinter basins on the Central Square, the central space in the future Square Mile quarter.
The sinter basins were built in the 1970s and were used to prepare the coal residues before they were taken to the smelting furnace. Today, all that remains of the site are the concrete structures and some steel installations. The basins have diameters of up to 40 m and a maximum depth of approx. 12 m in relation to the car parking area that currently borders them. The total area of the sinter basin square to be designed is approx. 6,730 m² (up to the edges of the planned surrounding buildings). The site consists of several operating levels and is also permeated with passages, galleries and ancillary spaces.
As part of the development of the quarter, the intention is to restore a useful purpose to the former sinter basins. This should be in harmony with the mixed areas of use (offices, trade and residential) of the surrounding buildings currently in the concept design phase.
The product of the project competition will be an expressive, timeless design which will blend in with the overall concept for the quarter, and which will form the beating heart of the quarter due to its attractiveness and unique nature.
In general, the tenderer is pursuing the following goals with the project:
• The creation of a unique, vibrant square that invites visitors and residents to use it all year round.
• Incorporation of the different basin levels into the overall concept.
• The creation of a reference to the area’s industrial past.
• Integration into the overall architectural design of the quarter with its pedestrian streets and arcade walkways.
• Development of a usage concept (e.g. sport, leisure, relaxation, culture, gastronomy, etc.) taking into account a potential phased usage of the site.
In order to achieve this goal, AGORA plans to issue for tender a single-stage, anonymous project competition with a preliminary application procedure and a restriction of the maximum number of participants to 7 teams. Through this invitation for applications, the aim is to find a planning team consisting of a combination of offices for architectural and open space planning, as well as structural engineering and supply technology offices for technical support.
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