The Urban Development Corporation (SAU-MSI) published a public procurement procedure to appoint a coordination team tasked with managing and activating the transition period of the Usquare.brussels project at the former Elsene barracks.
The Urban Development Corporation (SAU-MSI) wants to seize the completion of the first phase of the works as an opportunity to roll out a new interim management project at the site. Since the 1st temporary occupation project (called See U) - which ran from April 2019 until August 2022 - came to an end, plenty of work, which is due to be completed by the summer of 2024, has been going on. To give you an idea:
- the complete restoration of buildings A, A’, B, C’, C and C’’ situated along Generaal Jacqueslaan, where the cluster of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) academic activities will be based;
- soil remediation and the removal of asbestos from all the buildings at the site;
- demolition work to, in time, create the new public garden and 2 new access routes to the site;
- the dismantling of the ASTRID telecommunication mast;
- the complete renovation of the water supply network and sewerage system, including the construction of an integrated storm-water management infrastructure;
- the creation of 3 fields with geothermal probes, including all the pipes for the new heating and cooling grid and the construction of a new central boiler room.
The completion of these works means that a new period of interim management of Usquare.brussels is dawning for SAU-MSI (owner of the site). With the exception of converting the “Clos des mariés” into social housing, no major construction work will be embarked on before the start of 2027. Thus, in consultation with ULB and VUB (the universities) and the Municipality of Elsene, SAU-MSI would now like to appoint a contractor (coordination team). To span this period of nearly 3 years, SAU-MSI wants to call upon a coordination team to manage and activate 6 buildings (+/- 9.000 m² gross) and outdoor areas. Aside from these spaces, which can be used on a temporary basis, also the universities’ (ULB and VUB) academic activity centre (10,000 m²) and the FabLab (6,000 m²) will be fully operational and welcome a large university community. One of the main objectives of this interim management is to foster rich and positive interaction between the various target groups (the residents of the temporary occupation, neighbours and the university community).
The special specifications can be downloaded via the following link: https://www.publicprocurement.be/publication-workspaces/6876e37c-644a-43d5-b907-0c459725ae41/general
The deadline for submitting bids is Thursday, 11 April before 11:00.
Site visits can be arranged (see the terms in the special specifications)
/!\ This invitation to tender is not intended for initiators of projects or activities who wish to be allocated a space at the site. A specific call for expressions of interest (CEI) will be published for these applications soon.
