Reconstructing the Hypercentre - Documenting Hamilius Part II

photo from Dr. Nathalie Christmann

The construction site at Hamilius has become a regular pit stop on the tour of the City of Luxembourg that first year Master students in our Geography and Spatial Planning program take. This year, in preparation, I dug up some media concerning the site.

   This entry may be seen as a follow-up to a previous blog entry "When the Heart Went" (April 2015) where I published a short photo essay of some of the graffiti art that was dismantled before construction began. There I also provided a link to a Luxembourgish film, "Hamilius," that documented the underground art scene that used to gather in the passageways underneath the bus station. More on this can be found with a simple search of skater/hip hop/breakdance/Hamilius in youtube. A couple of examples are Here or Here. While on the topic, it can also be noted that since construction began, the new Skatepark Peitruss has opened. While it certainly looks "impressive" and well supplied, I am curious to what degree this was a satisfying replacement. 

   The following list of articles focus conflicts around the construction site since 2015. This is by no means an exhaustive list of articles (One might notice the lack of German language articles, for example!!). But some of the general discourses can be reconstructed, and some of the primary stakeholders can be identified.  Following the list of newspapers and communications is also a list of web addresses of some of the main stakeholders of the site.

Newspaper Articles and Communications

• VdL Communique de Press

• Lydie Polfer (in a round table with Markus Hesse) dropped some comments on the Hamilius construction site during the “Luxembourg, ville tentaculaire?” reported here in Delano, "No Need for Sprawl"

• Luxembourger Wort, "The Last Building Standing"

• Luxembourger Wort, "The "Golden Deal" that went Sour"

• Luxembourger Wort, "Luxembourgs Hamilius reduced to Rubble"

• Luxembourger Wort, "Days of Royal Hamilius Tower Blocks are Numbered!

• Le Quotidien "Royal-Hamilius : un irréductible immeuble au cœur du chantier"

• Chronicle "Hamilius Project Update: Number 49 Will Not be Demolished"

• L'Essentiel "Seul au beau milieu du Royal-​​Hamilius"

• L'Essentiel "Une plongée au cœur du Royal-​​Hamilius

• Paperjam, "32 mètres sous le sol du Royal-Hamilius"

• Paperjam, "Royal Hamilius: l'acte courant décembre"

• Le Soir (online access required): "Arlon/Luxembourg: deux projets enrayés par le propriétaire

• Designboom, "foster + partners: luxembourg royal hamilius"

Websites of some stakeholders

• Before construction, the Ville de Luxembourg either owned or was able to buy many of the properties currently under construction.  The City's website has plenty of videos to watch on the.

• The Real Estate Developer in charge of the site is Codic. More info here.

• Giogetti is one of the real estate developer that lost the bid, and then later bought 40% of the units at 49 Blvd Royal.

• The Foster + Partners were the (Star)chitects who won the design competition. Click around this site and notice that they have a knack for opulence being famous for signature projects such as the Reichstag in Berlin, the Great Court at the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, Al Faisaliah Centre in Riyadh, or The One in Toronto (the upcoming tallest building in Canada).....and they claim a "sustainable approach to architecture".

• JLL Residential can hook you up with apartments to buy or rent at Hamilius

• Back at 49, Boulevard Royal L-2449 Luxembourg, there are still some businesses in operation. See Institut-Royal