Nearby Simonis, a former Godiva chocolate factory car park has recently been purchased by the Brussels Region. However, the task of actually developing this site has been entrusted to the municipality of Koekelberg, as part of the “around Simonis” (CRU6) Urban Regeneration Contract. The municipality is planning to build a mixed-use building combining public housing on the upper floors and amenities for the local community on the ground floor.

This location is particularly strategic, not only because of the close proximity of the Simonis multimodal hub (train, metro, bus), but also because it runs alongside the future L28 Cyclostrade, a network of bicycle paths and streets that will link Bockstael to the Gare du Midi over a distance of 6.5 kilometres. As part of its policy to promote active mobility, the municipality is therefore planning to set up a bicycle repair workshop directly accessible from the Cyclostrade, as well as a 50-space secure and covered bicycle parking area.

The site will also house eight public housing units. They will be designed according to typologies that factor in changing lifestyles and favour construction solutions that reduce the project’s environmental impact. The communal areas should encourage residents to get together, both inside the building and outside.

This project, along with the cyclostrade, will radically change the face of the Rue de l’Armistice… and its name!