The Terre-Neuve gymnasium, designed by MDW Architecture, is now rising from the ground in a vacant lot inherited from the Brussels North-South railway junction. Let’s take a look at this resilient piece of architecture that takes advantage of its site’s railway identity.

If you have ever taken the train through Brussels, you have surely seen the Terre-Neuve gymnasium. You may have seen it as part of a run-down block without noticing it for years, or, more recently, you may have spotted its structure under construction. Now you can see it in its finished form, as the Terre-Neuve gymnasium designed by MDW Architecture is rising from the ground. In reality, the land is not so new, as it is actually a redevelopment site. The project is part of the Jonction neighbourhood contract, which has been restructuring the Brussels Chapelle station neighbourhood for five years now. The Jonction neighbourhood, whose name highlights how its urban planning is structured around the railway junction between Brussels Midi and Brussels North, aims to strengthen the links between the neighbourhoods that the railway line has separated. The ‘new land’ is therefore more of a resilient land with great urban ambitions.