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The site of the proposed Place des Bassins project. It may not be impressive now, but look out for cafés and terraces over the next three years.Photo: Mike Zenari  

From home to the supernatural to a source of healing spring water, and from the iron and steel capital of Europe (housing the world’s largest steel company in Arbed, later to become ArcelorMittal) to industrial wasteland, Belval has seen some sights. From a hole in the ground in the year 2000 to a vibrant and growing urban development in 2018, its transformation has been remarkable.  

As of the end of 2017, nearly 74% of the total building surface of the site was sold, 625,000 m² of which are completed or are currently under construction, representing 46% of the potential of the site.

Some 1,764 housing units have been delivered, including 931 apartments and 833 student and senior housing units. 

With a total of 210,000 m² of office space, Belval has become the leading tertiary sector in the periphery of Luxembourg City and ranks 5th in the country with almost 5% of Luxembourg's total market share.

However, Belval has not just become a busy place to work, as the 12,000 or so daily users of the neighbourhood testify. Around 5,000 people travel to Belval every day for work, Bel-Val High School hosts around 1,100 students and the university some 3,500

In addition, there are about 1,000 faculty and researchers at the university and various public and private research institutions. 

More than 180 businesses, institutions, retailers and restaurants have chosen to locate in the neighbourhood and nearly 2,400 inhabitants live in Belval on a permanent basis. 

The development of the district continues to progress rapidly. On the Terrasse des Hauts-Fourneaux, the public building programme, the Cité des Sciences, continues with the construction of the Maison des Matériaux (material sciences) and the construction of the Maison du Livre (university library). 

The first building will house mainly laboratories dedicated to various scientific disciplines and will be completed in 2019. The university library is due to open this year for the beginning of the winter semester. 

Regarding private construction, work on the Terrasse des Hauts-Fourneaux, preparations for the construction of the Omnia residential tower west of the Belval Plaza I building are underway.

Most of the development and construction work is focused on the Square Mile. In addition to the Naos, Capelli Towers, Rouden Eck and Southlane projects currently under construction in the south of the district, nine other projects are set to be completed by 2020/21. 

Among them are the three winning projects of the call for tender procedure, in which 21 developer / developer and architect projects were presented. In July 2017, a specialised jury finally selected the projects of Tralux / Petitdidierprioux Architects, Soludec-Asars / Metaform and Atenor / Steinmetz-Demeyer. 

The three projects will have a total of more than 38,000 m² of space west of the central axis of the district, 60% of which will be dedicated to housing, 35% to offices and 5% to businesses. These structures will accommodate nearly 400 inhabitants, including families, and offer work space of about 700 posts.

The development of the Place des Bassins will define the very heart of the Square Mile district. The project was awarded to the Metaform team as part of an international call for tender. The proposed concept will be implemented in cooperation with the municipality of Sanem in the next three years.

The residential area of ​​Belval North, inaugurated in 2009, is also completing its development. The development plan for the last phase of construction in the east of the neighbourhood has been definitively adopted and the last four construction projects in this area are currently in the award / design phase or are about to begin.

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