Excavation works for eco-district De Lediaan kick off
After a detailed design phase in close consultation with the Machelen municipal authorities, several town hall meetings and obtaining the environmental permit earlier this year, developers PSR-Urbicoon are now ready to kick off this sustainable project.
Distributed over 5 building volumes, this site will accommodate 168 Almost-Energy-Neutral (AEN) dwellings: from studio, city apartment, park apartment, penthouse to city dwelling. The first residents are expected by late 2025.
Jean-Pierre De Groef, Mayor of Machelen-Diegem: "That the remediation of this heavily contaminated site can be accompanied by the construction of a new park of 1, 8 hectares and a housing offer with a priority arrangement for its own residents is a win -win situation for the future residents and for the current local residents."
Steve Claeys, First Councillor of Machelen-Diegem: "This project offers an answer to the different needs that are present in our town; a historically contaminated plot will finally be rehabilitated and turned into a new park area. In addition, it will accommodate high-quality, sustainable dwellings, with a shared focus on living locally and social housing."
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Caption: f.l.t.r. Steve Claeys, First Councillor of Machelen-Diegem; Wim Smeets, Managing and Founding Partner Urbicoon, Jean-Pierre De Groef, Mayor of Machelen-Diegem, Jan Vandermeulen, Development Manager PSR, project developer at Jan De Nul Group.
Pictured right: When excavation work started, remains of the famous Diegem Lediaan sandstone, which used to be quarried there and served to build churches and palaces in Brabant, including the Diegem moated Marga Castle and St. Catherine's Church, came to the surface.
Green, meeting and lean mobility are at the centre of this eco-district.
Because of the conscious choice for compact living, 82% of the site remains green space. Collective gardens and an underground car park provide for a low-traffic district. Moreover, the 4.5-acre Lediaanpark will be accessible for both current and new residents.
The pedestrian and cycle paths ensure fast connections between the Oude Haachtsesteenweg and Woluwelaan, and from there with the F3 cycle highway.
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Caption: Thanks to the proximity of the town centre, the train station and several schools, the new De Lediaan eco-district has an outstanding mobiscore.
Collective energy supply provides enhanced living comfort.
All AEN dwelling units are E-level 20 compliant and therefore meet the strictest climate requirements. They are finished with high-grade materials and are fitted with sustainable technologies.
All-in-one semi-collective installations with heat pumps and solar installations will be installed on the roofs. They will provide for all energy needs: from heating to (passive) cooling and ventilation.
Thanks to these communal installations, energy and maintenance costs can be optimized. An added bonus is that these techniques don’t end up in closets in individual dwellings, and this provides for extra living comfort and living space.
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Caption: Semi-collective energy installations serving the individual dwellings are installed on the roofs of the dwelling units.
Johan Geeroms, Managing Director PSR, project developer Jan De Nul Group: “Our mission as project developer is to contribute towards making the residential market more sustainable. By making innovative choices during the development and construction stages, we always build towards the future for our end-users. For De Lediaan in particular, the semi-collective energy systems are a concrete example of this. After installation and hand-over, as the developer, we will also take care for the running and maintenance of these systems through the setting up of an Energy Service Company.”
Wim Smeets, Managing and Founding Partner project developer Urbicoon: “The powerful eco-concept of De Lediaan, in combination with the green environment at the heart of Diegem, with all the advantages of the metropolitan area and Brussels Airport nearby, is a key driver for the already numerous first buyers today. We have already sold 54% of the first phases that were offered for sale on plan, both to end-users and investors.”
An integrated work approach provides for optimal planning less disruption.
- Earthworks for the new buildings and landscaping run parallel with rehabilitation works on site. These works are carried out in cooperation with Envisan, Jan De Nul Group’s environmental division.
- Waste removed from the ground, such as rubble, wood, plastic, etc., is separated as much as possible on site, stored provisionally and the carefully removed to certified processing centres.
- Site traffic happens through a temporary entrance at the Oude Haachtsesteenweg and Woluwelaan, which reduces disruption in Diegem town centre.
- Above-ground construction works will start in the second quarter of 2024.
- The first residents are expected late 2025.
The sale has started successfully.
From the first development phase offered for sale, more than 60 units have already been sold now. For further information about the residential offer and works progress, please visit www.delediaan.be.