BUSINESS-03: A listed site in Etterbeek turned into a space for multicultural exchanges and cohesion

Etterbeek (Brussels-Belgium) is a highly diverse and fast-growing municipality, with over 150 nationalities representing almost half of the population. Its proximity to the European district attracts international workers, students, asylum seekers and middle-class families. While this diversity is a major asset, it also creates challenges such as language barriers and socio-economic gaps. The municipality therefore prioritizes social cohesion, active citizenship and inclusion to prevent “community bubbles.”

A central asset for our project is the Hap site, a recently renovated set of buildings owned by the municipality. The site includes:

• Hap House, a listed 19th-century heritage building (430 m²) with reception and multifunctional rooms;

• Jardin Hap, a 1.3-hectare listed public park with a pond, kiosk and community vegetable gardens;

• The Orangerie, featuring a 95 m² multifunctional room and a future social restaurant.

The site is intended as a socio-cultural hub promoting diversity and coexistence through language classes, exhibitions, workshops, concerts and community events. Although currently underutilized due to heritage constraints, limited profitability, spatial layout challenges and the need to preserve tranquility in a dense urban area, it already hosts various cultural and civic activities.

Our intention, thanks to a New European Bauhaus (NEB) project is to revitalize the Hap site, combining sociocultural impact with financial sustainability, to turn it into a space for exchange and multicultural cohesion for residents.