Neutelings Riedijk Architects has converted a railway station in Brussels into a mixed-use development, which is the largest cross-laminated timber project in Europe.
Within the former 20th-century railway shed the architecture studio has created 12 pavilions from 10,000 cubic metres of timber making it Europe's largest cross-laminated timber (CLT) project according to developer Extensa.
Gare Maritime was a railway station in the 20th century
The goods railway sheds near Brussels' docks have been turned into a covered hall filled with shops and offices and space for events, as part of the wider Tour & Taxi development.
A glass and timber roof covers the historic steel struts of Gare Maritime. The CLT volumes below are clad in oak and surrounded by trees and indoor parks. CLT pavilions have been built in the converted building. Photo by Sarah Blee
"The twelve pavilions create a new structure of boulevards and street, parks and squares, that follows the existing urban context and the building structure in a natural and logical way," said Neutelings Riedijk Architects co-founder Michiel Riedijk.
Using large amount of CLT was part of the plan to make the development of Gare Maritime as sustainable as possible.
Gare Maritime contains offices and events spaces
CLT is made by glueing together panels of wood, a renewable material, to create a light yet sturdy construction material. For Gare Maritime, using CLT meant the structures could be prefabricated offsite t...