Bringing citizens, the city and knowledge together: such is Usquare’s ambition.
Usquare or the conversion of the former Gendarmerie school in Ixelles into a new, diverse and dynamic, urban and welcoming, academic and international, sustainable and innovative quarter that is completely open to the city.
The combination of “U” and “square” embodies the universities and the city coming together around a project at the service of citizens:
- the capital “U” refers to the universities, ULB and VUB, involved in the project;
- “square” refers to the quadrangle of the historic walls within which this new quarter will be located, to the fun meeting places in the public spaces and to the nearby amenities;
This union has been brought about thanks to the convergence of two proactive approaches.
The approach by ULB and VUB, who want to become more integrated into the city and are committed to development for the benefit of its residents by creating a new, world-class centre of expertise together.
The approach by the Brussels-Capital Region who, on the one hand, is keen to meet the needs of its residents in terms of housing, amenities, quality of life, and, on the other hand, aims to reinforce its status of Belgium’s main student city, Europe’s first-rate academic centre, national capital and international metropolis, intersection of cultures in a hub of collective intelligence, research, innovation...
The Region and the universities grasped the opportunity to translate these intentions into reality when the Federal Police vacated the former barracks in Ixelles, ideally situated close to their main campuses, on the intersection between young and vibrant neighbourhoods, on a junction of public transport lines.
And thus, the Region decided to purchase this former military complex from the State to:
- open it up to the city;
- to promote its heritage;
- to develop housing for families and students;
- to create convivial public spaces;
- to develop local amenities accessible to the residents;
- to accommodate a hall that celebrates sustainable food and to house one of the universities’ groundbreaking projects in the field of research, dissemination and sharing of knowledge, international trade, entrepreneurship and innovation…, some aspects of which are financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).