Industrial Park near Esch-sur-Alzette

For some years now, a gigantic construction project has been in progress amidst the industrial wasteland of a former steelworks in Belval, a suburb of Esch-sure-Alzette: on an unused and, for the most part, cleaned-up terrain, the ambitious restructuring of a town formerly marked by heavy smokestack industry is underway. The enormous smoking chimneys that once extended into the skies have been replaced by high-tech, high-rise office buildings. The resulting impression is that of a striking, rather unusual side by side of smooth, clearly structured, avant-garde glass facades on the one hand and skeletal ruins of a neglected industrial site on the other hand, which both have been combined to form one integral new construction complex. Between the buildings, a large square or courtyard has been formed, lined with old concrete pillars, slightly conical in shape, which have been transformed into street lights. From this square, a large staircase leads to what is perhaps the most eye-catching element of the new ensemble: a fire-red building complex which belongs to the RBC DEXIA Investor Services Bank and evokes a distinctly futuristic ambiance. The office tower, flanked by glass elevators, rises above the horizon, as if it were symbolising the economic boom, overshadowing the archaic buildings beside it, which still date back to the industrial complex. This visually tense cohabitation of such opposite architectural giants, which seem to pit their strengths against each other, creates a very intriguing atmosphere and offers a multitude of cinematographic motifs. Excellent infrastructure for filming, commercial centre with parking garage, cafés, etc. at the end of the square. Please note: more construction sites to follow in the near future (noise, obstruction).