With the project ‘ILO’, investment fund CityForward takes an important step in transforming the monofunctional Schuman district in Brussels into a vibrant, mixed urban quarter. While part of the existing office buildings will be sustainably and circularly renovated, more than 250 new housing units will be added, supported by over 5,000 m² of amenities and complementary functions.
The intervention is part of an ambitious transformation strategy, which significantly reduces the built-up density and re-establishes a connection with the landscape system of the Maelbeek Valley. The new program thus gives a strong impulse to the neighborhood and responds to the growing demand for high-quality urban living environments.
The project embraces the principles of adaptive reuse and sustainable urban regeneration, inspired by the “low energy use, long lifespan, reversible construction” principle.
By applying one of the most sustainable design strategies — preserving and reusing existing structures as much as possible — the redevelopment transforms an excess of parking spaces into high-quality workspaces and community facilities, centered around a new central square.
Elsewhere within the project, the existing concrete load-bearing structure is retained to convert deep office floors into through-apartments with generous ceiling heights and abundant natural light.
