International assessment method for sustainability, BREEAM, has arranged for a bespoke assessment criteria for a contaminated industrial site south of Antwerp, Belgium. The site is destined to become an eco-business park after its dramatic transformation from a thriving industrial dockland area based on petroleum. At this point in time the site is heavily contaminated from its past and is at risk from flooding, contains uneven ground and lacks public transport connections.

Project Manager for Blue Gate Antwerp (the project in question) Guido Muelenaer explains: “We aim to turn this site right around from a place of environmental degradation, to a model for the city’s future sustainable development and economic success. We will make extensive use of renewable energy, sustainable materials, alternative transport systems, waste reduction and recycling strategies. Using the BREEAM Communities scheme will help us to effectively manage and optimise the wide range of complex sustainability issues involved in delivering the project.”