Cityforward is a real estate fund managed by Whitewood, set to redevelop 21 outdated office buildings owned by the European Commission, totaling 300,000 m² in the European district. The ambition is high, focusing on both circularity and program diversity, aiming for 30% residential and amenity spaces. This endeavor could serve as a catalyst for transforming the European district, currently a monofunctional office area, into a more mixed and vibrant urban neighborhood.

First, strategic guidelines for the 21 buildings were defined in the form of Projectlines. Now, it’s time for designers to carry out these transformation projects successfully. Several competitions will be launched in the coming weeks.

We are immediately starting with a behemoth of +/- 100.000 m², the so-called Ilot 130, an almost entire block on Rue de la Loi. The mission involves mixed redevelopment including offices, a diversified residential program, as well as amenities and commercial functions for the neighborhood.

Sustainability and circularity are at the core of this mission. One of the challenges will be to open the ground floor to the neighborhood and to demineralize and green the interior of the block. Attention will be paid to water management, as well as the embodied and operational carbon footprint of the project.

Whitewood is seeking an architecture and landscape design team for this project. The team will collaborate with an executive architect and technical engineers already appointed by the client.

Note to interested parties: the next two competitions under the Cityforward initiative to be launched in May, are Palmerston, the transformation of an office building into a residential program on Ambiorix Square (3.500 m² ) and Trèves-Belliard, the refit of two office buildings at the corner of Rue Belliard and Rue de Trèves (13.000 m²).