Recypark Demets

— Caroline Berckmans

On the banks of the Charleroi canal, in one of Anderlecht’s industrial districts, the 51N4E collective and the Les Marneurs agency brilliantly rose to the challenge of creating a recypark that was seamlessly integrated into the urban space. The triangular plot accommodates the container park at the rear, while corner closest to the canal features a landscaped area. This includes a skate park designed by skateboarder and architect Janne Saario, with the aim of living harmoniously alongside other users within a single continuous landscape.

In terms of eco-friendliness, project is exemplary, not only because of its role as a recycling centre, but also because of its wooden framework, recovered from a former riding school by Rotor. Its dry and wet gardens also help to manage rainwater. The gardens are crisscrossed by a “snake runˮ, a winding skateboard track that brings to mind the water of the Senne and the idea of reuse – a concept connected with the very essence of skateboarding, which became widespread in the 1970s as people found a new use for the swimming pools left empty by drought.