A green makeover for Flagey Square and St. Croix Square

Place Flagey from the new green border

The team Kollektif Landscape – Fallow – Ecorce won the design competition for the redevelopment of Flagey Square and St. Croix Square. The proposal provides for considerable greening, which should make this dynamic meeting place future-proof. The municipality of Ixelles and the Brussels region will jointly ensure its completion in 2023.

Last summer, the municipality of Ixelles and the Brussels region, in collaboration with the Brussels City Architect, selected four teams to develop and propose their ideas for a green make-over of the iconic Place Flagey and the adjacent Place Sainte-Croix. The design of the young Belgian design firms Kollektif Landscape and Fallow, supported by  the ecologists and hydrologists of Ecorce, was awarded by the jury.

The competition project foresees an important greening of the two squares by planting a total of 60 new trees and large perennial beds that partly function as bioswales. The plant pits of to the existing trees will also be improved in order to improve the growing conditions (drainage, substrate, aeration). The interventions will render this vibrant urban hotspot climate proof. The new green infrastructure will help to cool down the square during the summer months, retain water in case of heavy rainfall, introduce greater biodiversity and create a more pleasant space for activities.

Greening of the Place Sainte-Croix

The new design takes into account the existing activities (market, circus, etc.) and is in line with the original design by Latz + partners of 2008. For example, the central area of the Flagey square will remain completely open, and the benches and fountains will also be retained. The selected team will further refine the competition proposal in consultation with the various partners and stakeholders in the coming months. The building permit is expected to be submitted by the end of 2022.

Flagey Square and St. Croix Square

Team: Kollektif landscape – Fallow – Ecorce

Image credits: Kollektif landscape – Fallow

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Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/