Masterplan Mediapark, Brussels, Belgium
The area in Schaerbeek currently belongs to the two public broadcast stations, Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) and Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) and will be completely remodeled within the next fifteen years. The future "Mediapark" will house the new headquarters of the RTBF and VRT until 2022; the existing building of the 70s will be taken down.
The regional administration wishes to create a new developping centre to bring in quality of life to the district, build up neighborhoods and link them together; it is thought to integrate residential, commercial, service and recreational functions and to strengthen the existing economy through an innovative system based on media and creative sectors. This will involve the development of eight hectares of public spaces and a media center, the construction of up to 3,000 homes and locations for services and infrastructure as shops, a school and nursery.
Transsolar accompanies the urban planners team in designing a neighborhood highly comfortable for pedestrians and develops strategies for renewable energy supply for the site. Studies on solar radiation and aerodynamic simulations have informed the layout of the buildings volumetrics: Adjusting the surfaces and optimizing the overall density makes it possible to defuse areas where critical air movements could occur.
Placing buildings of different use in a stategic pattern and creating ways to transfer heat within the neighborhood allows to reuse waste heat of buildings with high internal loads (such as television station and some cultural facilities) by transfering it to other premises (such as apartments, kindergarten, school): A heat exchange that reuses valuable energy, usually being "destroyed" in common building operation.