Designer Vincent Callebaut is one of the latest to use his genius to imagine what a former industrialized area might look like if it were to be renovated into a sustainable community. A master of green architecture, he’s used the timely renovation of Tour & Taxis, based in Belgium, to imagine what a sleek, eco-friendly village might look like not too far in the future.

In the renderings, the former 40-hectare (100 acres) industrial site is transformed into a mixed-use eco-village. As Inhabitat points out, Tour & Taxis was once the “shining jewel” of what the industrialization golden age could offer. Callebaut wants it to be the beacon of a ‘green’ era, therefore, has outlined a master plan of how to turn the area into a sustainable community, complete with draping greenery, landscaped residential buildings (also called “vertical forests”), and renewable energy devices.

The designer envisions the space being divided into residential and commercial spaces. The Marine Center, to be morphed into a BIOCAMPUS, would act as a hub for the area. By relying on wind and solar, earth-air heat exchangers for natural ventilation, evapotranspiration gardens, geothermal stations, and more, the efficient architecture would produce more power than its many residents would need.

The area is already undergoing major renovations to turn its many warehouses into shops, restaurants, and exhibition spaces. Ideally, redevelopment would be organized along the Brussels canal and all construction would use bio-sourced materials that contained recycled content or are able to be recycled according to cradle-to-cradle standards. If the vision were made manifest, non-motorized transport would be prioritized to cut down on carbon emissions and unappealing noise.

Following are some photos of Callebaut’s vision. Is this a glimpse of future?

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