Preserving Brussels identity: Methodological principles for the retrofitting of city blocks

Abstract

The form of Brussels Capital Region city blocks is part of the identity of the city. Preserving the built environment includes preserving the urban form while allowing them to adapt to the new necessities without losing this identity. The city block is not first defined as an architectural form but as a set of plots attached ensemble that acquire meaning because a dialectic relation with the surrounding roads grid [1] The urban block is formed by the complex dialogue between the distribution of properties, the constructions and the public spaces. This paper aims to stress the role of the city blocks as a main contributor to the heritage value of the city and present a set of methodological principles to approach their retrofitting. Under the scope of the project B³-Retrotool [2], several scenarios of retrofitting have been developed and assessed over three representative case studies. This research has pinpointed the importance of transforming the city-blocks as a basic unit of the urban matrix. Its originality is to identify new determinants in designing modern, economic and efficient city-blocks using a multi-criteria and multi-scale approach. Using different mapping tools, a thorough and new classification of the city blocks is provided based in their morphology and urban function. A series of so-called “retrofitting sheets” divided in energy and morphological approach will be presented to illustrate the results. The paper concludes by presenting these results integrated in a pre-assessment tool developed to provide a clear vision and comprehension of the city of Brussels from a bottom-up and top-down approach. It identifies priority city-blocks requiring an urgent retrofitting and proposes various retrofitting principles to enhance their energy and environmental performances while preserving its identity and cultural heritage.