Benoît Fouss & Louise Fontaine
Parc habité. ULiège (Belgium)
Inhabited Park: A Pause within the Built Density of Seraing
Located along the Meuse River, the city of Seraing still bears the imprint of its steelmaking heritage. The decline of this industry has left behind numerous brownfield sites, which today represent strategic opportunities for urban regeneration, reconciling industrial memory with contemporary needs: diversity, sustainability, and quality of life.
The project occupies a former industrial site near the city center, framed by a vegetated terril. Opening the site (made possible by removing the wall along Rue Marnix) extends greenery towards the street, reconnecting the park to the urban fabric and revalorizing the street as a civic space.
Industrial traces are reinterpreted: the Hervo building is rehabilitated into an artist residency and exhibition venue, strengthening the link with the city center. Other structures are reorganized for logistical functions. A pedestrian loop organizes the project, with limited vehicle access, while a footbridge enhances permeability towards neighboring districts.
Seven new blocks combine active ground floors with residential programs. Their varying heights follow the slope of the terril, ensuring smooth transitions with the surrounding fabric.
The structural system is based on a central concrete core housing vertical circulation, complemented by a secondary steel frame. Around this framework, a lighter tertiary structure forms continuous external walkways that serve as balconies, offering private outdoor extensions to each dwelling. These walkways blur the boundary between interior and exterior, drawing the park into the living spaces. A shared modular grid guarantees adaptability: additional floors can be added if required. Conceived as a true “living tool,” this flexible framework accommodates diverse typologies - apartments, duplexes, studios, or co-living - as well as public programs on the ground floor.
Sliding openings in the façade connect dwellings to the park, making light, greenery, and views part of daily comfort.
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