Canal du Centre

Showpiece of industrial heritage

The four lifts on the Canal du Centre in Belgium are a showpiece of the Walloon industrial heritage. The construction of the Centre Canal and its works began in 1885 and took no less than 32 years to complete.
This wonder of technology and originality has proved its efficiency and is more than a hundred years later still in perfect working order.

Urban Renewal in Brussels

Not far from the Canal du Centre we find Brussels. More than just a line of buildings with a similar architectural presentation, these creations by the Atelier d'Art Urbain represent a real wasteside frontage alongside the canal in Brussels (Belgium), a frontage which recalls not only the industrial architecture of the surrounding district but also the typically eclectic style to be found throughout Brussels.
This book traces their respective courses, and is prefaced by an interview with each of the four senior partners of the architectural practice.