Repurposing of former Primus washing machine manufacturing site

In 2003, washing machine manufacturer, Primus, moved its Belgian manufacturing site to foreign shores. New tenants moved in and nature took its course ...

Brownfield covenants were recently agreed (in 2019) to determine the future design of local, mixed-use business parks in Belgium. These architectural contracts provide a framework for facilitating the redevelopment of buildings and green spaces in a spatially rational and efficient way. The former Primus site’s green spaces - meadows and an overgrown forest of exotic herbaceous plants - will be redeveloped as a wetland cluster and indigenous bog forest… a tranquil slice of nature that’s inaccessible to humans and provides a welcome contrast to the greenery flanking the banks of the river Heulebeek.

The building zone will be ‘cored’ in the literal sense of the word, and will take shape in the form of 3 strips with functional open spaces in between. The heads will be disconnected from the bodies using open spaces, to ensure a fitting solution for this unique environment. The street-facing buildings will comprise town houses and co-working & living spaces, with the brand new headquarters of the ambitious ‘Raes Construct’ serving as the development’s architectural ‘pièce de résistance’. The master plan and visual quality plan form part of this launch phase, as well as the framework for future designs.