Charleroi
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Data
![E13-BE-Charleroi-Cover / ©](/media/default/0001/10/3537de666b107a704e3a6ff05e5a8facfc605a7d.png)
E13-BE-Charleroi-Cover / ©
Category Town planning and architecture
Location Charleroi, Gilly, Place Destrée
Population 203,753 inhab.
Strategic site c. 11.4 ha - Project site 2.5 ha
Site proposed by City of Charleroi, Charleroi Bouwmeester
Owner(s) of the site City of Charleroi
Commision after competition Town planning study, architectural design of public spaces and some buildings
Team representative town planner – landscape architect – architect
More Information
How can the site contribute to the adaptable city?
An old industrial community to the East of Charleroi, Gilly has developed along the communication lines that link the North of the Charleroi conurbation to the town of Châtelet in the South, as well as to the Centre of Charleroi and its periphery to the East towards Fleurus and Namur. With its many shops and public facilities, the “Quatre bras de Gilly” crossroads constitute the pole of attraction of the former municipality, now merged with Charleroi. The transit traffic is diverted by the fast lane known as the “Route de la Basse Sambre” [Lower Sambre Route] and the tram has been replaced by a light metro on the site in the Gilly crossing. In spite of a loss in economic vitality and a drop in its social life, Quatre bras remains the heart of Gilly. Its appeal must be further enhanced, however, to re-endow it with a quality of life and urban intensity that can spell renewal for the quarter.
City strategy
The city of Charleroi went through a major economic development thanks to its coal mines, and steel and glass making plants. Like all industrial cities, its residential fabric is closely related to the places of the activities and crossed by numerous road, waterway and public transport infrastructures and facilities. Following the de-industrialisation process and discontinuance of the old activities, the city has undergone a process of rehabilitation. One of the lines of action is intended to give the city back to its inhabitants. Major renewal work is in progress in the city centre. A polycentric city resulting from the addition of industrial communities that were independent until the merger of municipalities in 1977, the municipal authorities wish to complete this action in the centre of town through actions in the secondary hubs. The Place Destrée in Gilly proposed to Europan 13 is one of those projects.
Site definition
To the north of the Quatre bras de Gilly crossroads, the Place Destrée plays host to the Town Hall Annexe. It is the heart of a public service quarter comprising different facilities: school buildings, sports complex, cultural centre, libraries, rooms for associations and public parks. The light metro goes through the site underground with a station accessible from the Place Destrée. An isolated building in the centre of an extended area, the Town Hall Annexe boasts imposing volumes that hide the rear part of the public space. Taken over by parked cars, this area no longer plays its role as user-friendly space for social cohesion. The municipal authorities wish to review the organisation of the public space surrounding the Town Hall Annexe, both its front side on the Chaussée de Lodelinsart and its rear side, by retaining a link with the Chaussée de Charleroi in the south.
Future of the site in relation to the site family and to Adaptability
The municipality is keen to create a multi-functional, user-friendly public square that appeals through its varied moods, so as to constitute an urban pole of attraction for the neighbourhood. Whereas this desire to boost the appeal of the site is clearly stated, the options for development are open. With Europan 13, the town wishes to obtain an open-ended development plan, which while allowing existing activities to be continued on the site, takes into account current or expected changes. The existing car parks are to be moved to another location on the project site. Renewal operations on old residential housing is in progress in the vicinity of the project site. By reorganising the site, the town wishes to reinforce the interest of private real-estate promoters for new public and private housing operations.
The reflection on the future of public buildings on the project site must also be integrated into the approach. According to the options for the administrative reorganisation of the city under consideration, the administrative function of the Town Hall Annexe will be preserved. The participants are invited to develop a plan for the ground floor of this building and for the relations between the interior and the public space. Access to the “Temps choisi” cultural centre must be reconsidered. The organisation of the sports complex is to be reviewed: demolition/reconstruction or renovation. As the fate of certain buildings on the project site is uncertain, the candidates are invited to propose an open-ended solution that will make it possible to keep the site operating during its “revamping” phase.
![The Town Hall annexe / ©](/media/default/0001/10/f3c168ea7f1275b13eaca92bc889549ee908dec2.png)
![Parking lots behind the Town Hall annexe / ©](/media/default/0001/10/26337b4568d91563c55ee9bb7c467319142d6349.png)
![The sports complex / ©](/media/default/0001/10/a46a9455ba283d2d560c05800f80181355cd3cc1.png)
![Access to school buildings / ©](/media/default/0001/10/f6e74686d0bfb6292f4a15b0be894fb438b33bce.png)
Questions on the site
The program reports 185 parking places to keep. Is this number to apply to the project site only or the entire strategic site?
The project should propose a solution to maintain the current number of parking places on the project site and not on the strategic site as described in Part 2.
Do you have plans of the existing sport complex and with topography levels ?
The local authorities have no plan of the sport center.
The question about topography levels has already been asked. We thank you to consult the FAQ to find the answer.
Is it possible to have the topography as well as cuts (a.o. the subway) for the site in Charleroi?
The site in Charleroi should be considered as flat. We deliberately –and in agreement with the local representatives of the site– did not reveal more precise information on the topography. The plot and the metro corridor width are nevertheless defined on the documents and must be respected in the projects. In general, we rarely provide participants with too precise or too specific information to prevent them from focusing on the issues that we do not regard as essential.
Europan is first a competition of ideas – the jury therefore first focuses on the relevance of the ideas proposed in the projects.
Is it be possible to know where to find the width of the subway? We can see the trace of the subway on the drawing of the Charleroi-BE-PS-M1.jpg file, yet we do not see it in any other document and the abovementioned file does not seem to reveal the width.
The width of the subway tunnel to consider is of approx. 10 meters (walls included), to spread on both sides of the axis of the track on the CHARLEROI-BE-PS-M1.jpg map.
Do you have plans of the"Centre du Temps choisi"
The local authorities have no plan concerning the "Centre du temps choisi"
In regard to the reorganization of the Annex of the Maison communale, the program recommends only the creation of a single counter and the arrival of the local Police of the Eastern district (60-70 employees); part of those offices will be accessible to the public. Should we only consider investing the ground floor and basement in this program?
As explained on page 10 of the site folder –part 3.3 Program– the City considers reorganizing the ground floor of the town hall annex with an accessible counter of about 200 m2, open to the population, and the Police offices East District, designed to accommodate 60 to 70 employees. The offices in the floors are currently occupied by the administrative services of the city. A reorganization of these could be decided in the coming years, but no decision has been taken so far. Remember, however, that the subject of the Europan 13 competition for this building is to make a proposal on the relationship between the services of the ground floor and the surrounding public space of the building, and, maintaining the access to the floors, the assignment of which has not yet been defined.
Following the site visit, we found out that the façades of the House Annex were in a state of decay (falling material, supported windows, smashed walls) not mentioned in the program. Should these elements be included in the project?
Following the aging of materials façades of the House annex, they are subject to renovations for a technical and aesthetic maintenance. The offices at the rear facades are still occupied by the administrative services of the city of Charleroi. These works are not to be considered as part of the Europan 13
In the CHARLEROI-BE-PS-M2.DXF file, the only digital drawing we received, the layer 52011_CADMAP2014_PA is not precisely corresponding to the other layers. Is there any extra information from 52011_CADMAP2014_PA? We found a big difference about the Rue Genard.
The difference comes from the recent creation of parking. We advise you to consult Google Maps , and to identify the Genard Street ( satellite view mode). You will see that the differences between the documents comes from the recent creation of a car park in the south of the current implementation of Genard street.
Is there any height limit for the Project Site or Strategic site ?
As stated in section 2.2., any regulatory document is applicable to the project and strategic sites of Gilly. Charleroi has no regulation, scheme or development plan concerning the templates to meet. In addition, the city authorities are not opposed to the construction of tall buildings. For example, the new Charleroi police building carried out by the association Jean Nouvel/MDW Architecture has 20 floors. Other projects with tall buildings are underway, but they nonetheless concern the city center.
If candidates are free to design buildings in height, the will be mindful that the old town of Gilly is a secondary hub outside the city centrer and that the projects of Europan 13 must be complementary to development projects in progress in the city center of Charleroi.
Can documents over several panels or each panel shall be able to be read independently ?
The presentation is free : the panels can be read independently or form a triptych.
However, the candidate will meet the particular size an vertical layout (for details, thank you to refer to article 4.4. of the Europan rules)
Are the fallow plots at the intersection of the road from Charleroi and Calvaire street (subway Gasometer ) building lands ?
As stated in figure 4 of Part 2.2 of the blurb, the northeast corner of the intersection of Calvaire Street and Charleroi street is classified as "habitat area" (red) to the plane sector and is buildable. This is the only document that covers the planologique site. This part of the project site is illustrated by the SS-P20 , PS-P19 – PS-P20 photos.
The southwest corner of Montigny street and Charleroi street, including Gasometer underground access, is also classified habitat area. This part of the study site is shown in the photo SS- P18.
Is it possible to know the number of users of the equipment at the site (CPAS , center of the " Temps Choisi " Athénée, municipal schools , adult and youth library , etc.) and their opening hours ?
This information is difficult to obtain. Charleroi City's services collect information on the number of users of public facilities of the study site and opening hours. The information received concerning the cultural center « Le Temps Choisi »- a capacity of 687 seats in the hall, which seats 469 in the pit - and the Thibbaut room, a potential host between 200 and 400 people depending on whether they are seated or standing. Concerning the number of users of other devices , candidates are invitedto make their own assessment on the basis of information provided in the site folder .
Is it possible to receive the slide shown during the presentation made during the day of the visit of the site ?
A summary of this presentation is part of the minutes of the meeting already online on this page (Site Visit).
We also added the following pdf file on the FTP: "METROPOLE-WEB-141016_PRESENTATION_CHARLEROI". It is the book written by the Charleroi Bouwmeester, who exposes the past of the city of Charleroi and major urban redevelopment projects presented during the briefing.
Can we get the transport lines and station on which the densification program planed for the city of Charleroi is based?
Le tracé et les stations du métro léger de Charleroi sont données sur le site du TEC Charleroi, accessible à ce lien. La densification proposée autour du métro évoquée par le Bouwmeester de Charleroi lors de la visite du site est un document de travail qui n'est pas encore public. Il ne peut à ce stade être fourni aux candidats. Les documents publics seuls disponibles sont accessibles sur le site du Bouwmeester de Charleroi.
This site is connected to the following theme
How to create positive dynamics from a difficult situation? Many sites are faced with difficult urban situations. The origins of these difficulties are to be found in problems caused by urban, economic and environmental factors, as well as differing values and a lack of cultural understanding. Despite these difficulties, the sites nevertheless constitiute a favourable ground for the creation of new dynamics which rely on scenarios of sharing and the adaptation of traditional architectural and urban tools.
Questions on the site
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Fr. 2 June 2023
Deadline for submitting questions
Fr. 16 June 2023
Deadline for answers
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