Building for tomorrow with Cradle to Cradle Certified®: Belgium’s Project ZIN by Befimmo

Intended to showcase a new sustainable way of living and working -- and a new approach to urban development, the ZIN project will demonstrate circular design at scale. The 120,000m2 mixed-use redevelopment (slated for completion in 2023)  will eventually provide workspace for 3,900 Flemish civil servants along with 4,500m2 co-working space, plus living space, hotel accommodation, and leisure and retail outlets.

 A focus on circularity is an intrinsic feature of the project: 65% of the existing WTC towers I and II, both constructed in the 1970s, will be retained. Moreover 1.000 tons of finishing materials (e.g. wood panels, insulation, raised floors, carpets, concrete tile) will be reused on site or offsite, and over 85% of the waste materials (about 87.000 tons) will recycled (e.g. concrete, aluminium, glass). What’s more, with the exception of the concrete structure, the entire construction is designed for disassembly, ensuring the spaces and building can easily be readapted to new functions in the future.

Project Highlights

Name: Project Zin

Firm: Befimmo

Location: Brussels, Belgium

120,000m2 total project featuring:

• 14 floors of 4,500m2 each

• 75,000m2 offices

• 15,500m2 hotel (200 bedrooms)

• 14,500m2 housing (100 apartments)

• 5,000m2 restaurant, retail & commerce

• 4,500m2 co-working space

• 65% of existing structure retained*

• Over 1,000 tons finishing materials to be reused on or off site

• Over 85% waste to be recycled**

• 95% new materials in office spaces C2C Certified®***

• 70% heating & cooling covered by geothermal system**

* Based upon estimated weight of current building
** Based upon estimated weight of redeveloped building
*** Or equivalent

To ensure the redeveloped WTC buildings are truly made for tomorrow, Befimmo has specified that up to 95% of all new materials for the offices must be Cradle to Cradle Certified®. Using Cradle to Cradle Certified materials at scale is a ground-breaking move: one that stands to make Project ZIN a catalyst for turning the principles of circularity into practical reality for the building and construction industry.

According to Martine Rorif, Chief Operating Officer of Befimmo, the use of Cradle to Cradle Certified materials makes it possible to design and construct circular buildings at scale. In the case of the ZIN project, most of the concrete, glazing, aluminium window frames, load-bearing structures, new floors, partitions, plastering and floor coverings will be Cradle to Cradle Certified or equivalent. This enables the development to achieve key sustainability priorities including minimizing waste, eliminating pollutants, using materials that are safe for humans and the environment, reducing carbon, using renewable energy and implementing energy and water efficient processes.