Blue Gate Antwerp will transform a contaminated industrial site into an eco-business park with the help of BREEAM Communities.

This site is being developed by the City of Antwerp and the Flemish region. Formerly a busy industrial dockland area based on petroleum and other industries, the area suffers from heavy contamination, flood risk, uneven ground and a lack of public transport.

‘We aim to turn this site right around from a place of environmental degradation, to a model for the city’s future sustainable development and economic success’ says Guido Muelenaer, project manager Blue Gate Antwerp. ‘We will make extensive use of renewable energy, sustainable materials, alternative transport systems, waste reduction and recycling strategies. Using the BREEAM Communities scheme will help us to effectively manage and optimise the wide range of complex sustainability issues involved in delivering the project.’

‘Blue Gate Antwerp will use BREEAM Communities as a framework for identifying key sustainability opportunities and a tool for facilitating discussions between the developer and local authority,’ says BREEAM Communities Manager, Helen Pineo. BRE has drawn up a set of bespoke assessment criteria for the project, which will take account of the circumstances and priorities of the site, the city and the region. This certification will provide valuable lessons for any other projects in the Flanders region that wish to undergo a BREEAM Communities assessment.

Muelenaer adds ‘Blue Gate Antwerp will become a leading international eco-business park for sustainable logistics, manufacturing and research and development. Companies setting up here will have to comply with ambitious sustainability standards. We are focusing particularly on the park’s longer term performance, and will set up a park management organisation to ensure that sustainability continues to be the driving force.’

For more information on BREEAM Communities, which includes access to a free introductory video, go to www.breeam.org/communities.