Neischmelz will be the site of a new mixed-use neighbourhood with ecological ambitions. (Photo: City of Dudelange)

Neischmelz will be the site of a new mixed-use neighbourhood with ecological ambitions. (Photo: City of Dudelange)

As part of our summer series, Paperjam and Delano shed a light on remarkable construction sites across the country. Today, we take a tour of Neischmelz, a construction site that is not yet effective, but where the site is already active.

In Dudelange, the industrial wasteland of the ArcelorMittal rolling mill is gradually giving way to the Neischmelz urban conversion project. 36 hectares are being redeveloped to create a sustainable district located between the existing districts of Italy and Schmelz.

The new district is to incorporate the principles of the circular economy, the production of goods and services with less consumption and without wasting raw materials and resources. The district has mixed functions, but housing will play a major role, with around 1,000 new units to be built by 2035 (by the Housing Fund). There will also be premises for start-ups, commercial and administrative areas, new green spaces and a reinforced blue network. In total, four new master plans will be developed on this site. But for the time being, the cranes and construction equipment are not yet on site. So, in the meantime, the site remains undeveloped, in a provisional state, already cleared of certain buildings, but not yet in the construction phase.

By 2035, around 1,000 new homes will be created in Neischmelz. (Illustration: Housing Fund)

By 2035, around 1,000 new homes will be created in Neischmelz. (Illustration: Housing Fund)

Establishing temporary occupation

Rather than letting the site lie dormant for the many years that an urban transformation of this size requires, it was decided to occupy it temporarily: there is a cycle track, a multi-sports ground, a skate park. There are also several old industrial buildings that have been preserved, some of which will later be reintegrated into the project. Here too, rather than leaving them empty, it has been authorised to carry out activities with the local population. This approach fully participates in the reappropriation of the land and allows the setting up of long-lasting dynamics and social initiatives. These initiatives create the opportunity to breathe life into a completely new neighbourhood from the outset, to make this area part of a continuous history, in connection with its distant industrial past, but also its more recent past (the transition period with the construction site) and to prepare it for its urban future.

A collective to bring the site to life

This dynamic is made possible thanks to the efforts of the DKollektiv, which organises workshops and offers meetings with the inhabitants. This temporary occupation project began in 2016, on the occasion of the biennial event for industrial culture and innovation. For a month, DKollektiv moved into the former locomotive workshop on the site of the rolling mill, inviting artists, architects, designers, historians and citizens to think, create and discuss about industry, its past and its future.

As a result, in 2017 they moved into the Hall Fondouq (3,500m²), a space that is used in conjunction with the city of Dudelange and which gave rise to Atelier D. This hall is used both for the organisation of events and as a storage space. The public can also come here to take part in workshops (construction, ironwork, carpentry, photography, etc.), participate in meetings of a more philosophical nature or take part in musical evenings, artistic performances or film screenings. Projects have also been carried out in partnership with schools and high schools, as well as for regional events such as the “Hauts-Fourneaux festival” or the “Nuit de la Culture” (culture night).

As the Fondouq Hall is to be demolished, Atelier D is being moved to the Cloakroom-Warehouse building ("Schmelzkéis") which is currently undergoing a participatory renovation ("DKollage"). This building will allow the continuation of participatory workshops, the organisation of cultural events and artistic activities, as well as the hosting of different social, ecological and creative actors. This space will be co-managed with the Opderschmelz cultural centre and in partnership with other associations in Dudelange. This dynamic of creative initiatives will then be able to take root in the new Neischmelz district and facilitate the establishment of social and cultural life in the future district.

This article was originally published on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.