Part of the Chapters series developed by the Belgian architects 51N4E, this third instalment tells the story of two office towers from the 1970s that have been transformed according to the principles of reduce/reuse/recycle. In collaboration with Jaspers-Eyers Architects, the former World Trade Centre in Brussels is being repurposed in a previously unimaginable way. After many years of vacancy, the building now represents a new approach to urban development and a showcase for dealing in a more sustainable way with older buildings threatened with demolition. And although the adaptive reuse of this building is unique, the underlying concepts and processes are not – a lesson on how not to demolish a building.

This publication tells the story of the unlikely journey to obtain the building permit, tracing the events that led to this new lease on life. Starting from the initial dream of dismantling the World Trade Center, it recounts the complex and layered process that shaped the innovative reuse project called ZIN.

51N4E, l'AUC

Ruby Press, 2023

32 X 24 cm, 152 pages