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DOCKS BRUXSEL shopping district (Belgium):

Three giant pebbles of AZENGAR® sign an ambitious architectural design

Client: EQUILIS (NEG S.A)

Architect: ART & BUILD ARCHITECTS

Installation company: JACOBS & SOHN - MUTSCH ET FILS

Surface area of the project: 61,000 m² above ground

Delivery of the building: Opened to the public on 20 October 2016

VMZINC® products: 19,340 AZENGAR® zinc scales clad three “giant pebbles”

Surface area in zinc: 6,650 m² delivered

Opened to the public in October 2016, with a surface area of 61,000 m² (ground floor + 4 upper floors), the new DOCKS BRUXSEL SHOPPING DISTRICT, featuring contrasting architecture, is the first stone in an urban metamorphosis planned for Belgium’s capital city. This mixed-use project, which now marks the entrance to the greater Brussels area, has turned a former industrial wasteland in the North of Brussels into a vibrant, attractive district: a place to live and interact, with squares and streets, far removed from the classic shopping mall layout.

Designed by ART & BUILD ARCHITECTS, it is made up of numerous buildings, each with its own architecture, creating visual surprises and inviting people to stroll through the oversized pedestrian walkways, alternating landscaped areas and shops. Three of these buildings, with organic shapes, are crowned with giant pebbles clad in a skin made up of 19,340 made-to-order VMZINC® zinc scales, i.e. 6,650 m²:

- the first houses a 5,000 m² events venue. Cantilevered, at the bow of the building on the Willebroeck canal side, it marks the entrance to the city,

- the two others, protected beneath a huge glass roof, contain an 8-screen cinema complex.

The ART & BUILD ARCHITECTS firm gave serious consideration to materials (zinc, wood, glass…) to create continuity between the open-air section and the interior sections. Raw and noble, these materials recall the industrial history of the district. When considering zinc, the preferred option was AZENGAR®, the most recent surface aspect in the VMZINC® offer and unique on the market. It was specified as early as 2013, when the product was still in the development phase, a demonstration of confidence in the brand. “We were looking for a texture that was matte, heterogeneous and luminous. We loved the AZENGAR® samples. Its bright and naturally pre-weathered aspect is reminiscent of the style of Parisian roofs.” explains architect LILIA POPTCHEVA.

Durable and recyclable, AZENGAR was created using an eco-design approach at every stage of its development and its industrialisation, which also contributed to its selection. This sustainable approach corresponds to the architects’ philosophy. “BREEAM EXCELLENT” international certification (Conception phase) is proof of this. It was awarded for the mall’s small ecological footprint: use of canal water, recovery of heat from the nearby incinerator, sun through the glass roof that lets light flood into the interior spaces, photovoltaic panels installed on green roofs...

Clad entirely in zinc, the three volumes contrast with the other buildings and contribute to the identity and attractiveness of the shopping district, which brings together numerous shops and restaurants, a museum dedicated to the history of the site, 8-screen cinema and 7,000 m² of office space.

HARMONY OF MATERIALS

The giant zinc pebble at the bow of the project subtly marries an openwork wooden base and metal scales, while the two other volumes overhang buildings with terracotta and perforated steel facades. This blend of materials strengthens the gentle minerality of the project.

A 10,000 m² glass roof, one of the unifying elements of the complex, also fits in perfectly with the zinc. It provides climatic protection and a window to the sky and the “pebbles”.

THE FLEXIBILITY OF ZINC

Easy to handle, zinc is an ideal material for these ovoid envelopes. It is used in VMZINC® scales solutions with varying dimensions so as to follow the smoothly curved forms of the “pebbles” and adapt to the circumference of each level. The smallest parts are 0.25 m² and the largest are 0.5 m².

To save time, VMZINC® prefabricated the scales at its Slovakian site in Bratislava, following the layout plan provided by the design team. They were delivered to the site ready to be installed. The JACOBS & SOHN - MUTSCH ET FILS installation company worked on forming small scales for the roundest parts of the envelope, which required precise adjustments to be made directly on the structure.

METICULOUS ARCHITECTURAL INSTALLATION

The JACOBS & SOHN company installed the zinc scales.

The 19,340 scales that make up the envelope were delivered according to a complex predefined schedule enabling the entire envelope to be installed in ten months with no interruptions. A technical feat made possible thanks to the flexibility of the production team at the site in Bratislava.

The VMZINC® teams provided special support for this project, from the design phase right up to working on the site.

The installation of the scales is like a work of sculptural art. Each part is carefully seamed to the other using fixing clips, and then nailed to the wooden structure. They ensure discreet, elegant junction and high performance watertightness.

PROJECT

DOCKS BRUXSEL SHOPPING DISTRICT

Boulevard Lambermont 1 - 1000 Brussels (Belgium)

CLIENT

EQUILIS PROPERTY DEVELOPER (NEG S.A)

Avenue Jean Mermoz 1 - 6041 Charleroi (Belgium)

OLIVIER WEETS – Real estate project manager - info@equilis.net

DESIGN TEAM

ART&BUILD ARCHITECTS

Chaussée de Waterloo 255 - 1060 Brussels (Belgium)

+32 2 538 72 71

DAVID ROULIN - Chief Executive Officer - info@artbuild.eu

INSTALLATION COMPANY

JACOBS & SOHN

Lindenallee 45 - 4790 Burg Reuland (Belgique)

SERGE JACOBS - administrateur - sj@jacobs-sprl.com

VMZINC® SALESPERSON

Philippe Gustin - philippe.gustin@vmzinc.com

VMZINC® PRODUCTS AND ADVANTAGES

19,340 zinc scales in AZENGAR®, i.e. 6,650 m² for the envelopes of the 3 “giant pebbles”:

- organic architecture signs the identity of the building and contributes to the attractiveness of the mall,

- flexibility of the material, makes it possible to create small rounded parts,

- raw and noble, zinc recalls the industrial symbolism of the neighbourhood,

- matte, heterogeneous, luminous texture of the AZENGAR® surface aspect,

- eco-design approach and durability contribute to obtaining “BREEAM Excellent” certification,

- installation using clips for discreet, elegant junction and high performance watertightness.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

With a surface area of 56,000 m² (ground floor + 4 upper floors), this mixed project brings together leisure, cultural and work activities. It is punctuated by three “giant pebbles” in zinc: one houses a 5,000 m² events venue at the bow of the building on the Willebroeck canal side, the two others, built under a huge glass roof, contain an 8-screen cinema complex.

END DATE

June 2016 (duration 10 months)

Inauguration in October 2016

WHY THIS PROJECT?

Responds to the municipality’s determination to redevelop an abandoned industrial wasteland in the North of Brussels and turn it into a vibrant, welcoming, humanised district.

SPECIFICITY OF THE PROJECT

Shopping mall, the first stone in this urban metamorphosis.

AZENGAR® was specified when the product was still in its development phase.

“BREEAM Excellent” certification, thanks in particular to the use of resources available on the site: canal water, incinerator, photovoltaic panels installed on the green roofs...

DOCKS BRUXSEL shopping district (Belgium):

Details

  • Paris, France
  • VMZINC

    Keywords