The Abattoirs of Anderlecht are unique in Europe. The meat industry is still prominently present alongside the historic abattoir hall of 1888, bringing a food market, reception halls and much more in its wake. While other capitals are banning these kinds of ‘dirty’ industries, in Brussels they are expanding. ORG’s Foodmet was the first step in a major plan for the future.

The abattoirs are only 1.6 km from the Grand-Place in Brussels, but when the 100 m2 hall was constructed, this was still an open space between the Canal and the Bergense Steenweg, the twin arteries of the capital city’s industrial heartland. While the neighbourhood has since been urbanized, the exodus of industrial enterprises from the 1960s onwards also led to impoverishment. However, the slaughterhouse survived.