City Square Developing / AllesWirdGut

Architects: AllesWirdGut
Location: Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Client: Agora, société de développement
Completion: 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015
Gross Flor Area: 10,000 sqm
Photographs: Roger Wagner

Between forward-facing high-rise buildings and blast furnaces of the past the new Steelyard square forms the center of BelvalOu- est, a city development project which is currently constructed in Luxembourg on the grounds of a former steel mill.

The disused industrial site ́s atmosphere was characterized by wi- deness and roughness as well as pioneer plants such as mosses and birch. The former situation is necessarily literally covered by the new use and new design. Our major goal was it to let the now hidden qua- lities shine through the redesign.

Seating areas and new trees are concentrated into islands, which leave empty large areas of space and also serve as focal points in this emptiness. Aging-capable materials such as concrete, wood and untreated steel in combination with rough detailing make it possible for the patina of the past to return.