bo-rd is an industrial site of 14.000 m² on the edge of Brussels. Part salvage yard, part workplace, part experiment. A place to rethink how the city cares for its materials.
bo-rd is a place for making, experimentation, learning and exchange, with a particular focus on materials and reuse.
Today, the 14,000 m² site is home to around 60 people and hosts a diverse mix of activities and spaces – including a salvage yard, workshops, offices, event spaces,...
A productive place in the city
Located within the Da Vinci business park, developed by citydev.brussels, bo-rd sits on the municipal boundary between Evere and Haren, on the northeastern edge of Brussels.
It’s a place with a long history of welcoming activities that do not fit elsewhere in the city. From 1914 to 1950, it was part of the now-disappeared Haren Airport. In the 1960s, the surroundings changed radically with the construction of the first NATO headquarters nearby. In the 1980s, the area was redeveloped as a business district for companies combining administrative and logistical services – such as the bearings manufacturer SKF that used this plot before us. The business district is now evolving towards something more hybrid. Within this landscape, bo-rd occupies a particular position, combining an industrial scale with exploratory practices.
To a long-term perspective
bo-rd is an initiative of RotorDC, who have been using the site on a temporary basis together with a small group of other occupants since 2022. Over time, this has meant getting to know the buildings, finding our way around the site, and making small adaptations that allow us to use it properly.
In 2026, bo-rd entered a new phase with the acquisition of a 30-year emphyteutic lease, renewable for up to 99 years.
This long-term perspective is important. It secures space within Brussels for productive, hands-on and experimental activities that are increasingly difficult to accommodate in the city. It also creates the opportunity to invest in the site over time, improving existing buildings and infrastructure while adapting them to the needs of current and future users.
Transformation of the site
To ensure the project can last over the long term, it was necessary to secure funding to support its development. In 2023, we responded to an ERDF call for proposals supporting the development of infrastructure dedicated to reuse and recycling in the Brussels Region. This public funding is one of the foundations of the project, supplemented by private co-financing in the form of a loan from Triodos Bank, which supports initiatives generating positive environmental and social impact.
Since January 2026, the transformation project is being developed in collaboration with La Générale + les Marneurs + Servais + FLOW TRANSFER INTERNATIONAL + Bureau De Fonseca, by Studibo. The team was selected following a design competition organised in collaboration with the BMA – Bouwmeester Maître Architecte.
The design is based on an in-depth engagement with the site and the people who use it every day. It has taken shape through numerous workshops, exchanges, and discussions with Rotor and the other current occupants, as well as through the architects’ regular presence at bo-rd. This immersion has provided a close-up understanding of the site’s daily operations, flows, dynamics and constraints, and the needs of its users.
Rather than starting from scratch, the project builds on what is already there. No plans for demolition: the ambition is to retain as much as possible of the existing buildings from the 1980s. Their renovation will take place gradually, as needs and investment opportunities arise. Targeted interventions will improve comfort, functionality and capacity, while allowing the site to adapt over time. A significant proportion of reused and bio-based materials will be used in these works, making the construction site itself a testing ground for circular construction practices.
The first phase of work will begin as early as 2027. It will gradually transform the spaces and infrastructure at bo-rd to accommodate a diverse range of stakeholders from the city, the reuse sector, and the circular economy, while also making the site more accessible to the public. The aim is to create a place where people can produce, experiment, learn, exchange ideas, and discover new ways of working with materials in a hands-on way
Three principles have guided the project from its earliest stages:
BEFORE — looking at what already exists: the site, its materials, flows, history and uses.
SYSTEM — developing spatial and structural principles that can adapt and evolve over time.
LET GO — leaving room for appropriation, changing uses and situations that cannot be fully anticipated.
By 2029, bo-rd aims to host an ecosystem of more than 9 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), representing more than 70 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, and to contribute to putting several thousand metric tons of materials and goods back into circulation every year.
Beyond these activities, bo-rd aims to become an open, visible, and inspiring space where visitors can experience hands-on practices related to reuse, production, and the transformation of materials. In this way, becoming a key piece in the big puzzle of the material economy, contribute to changing how resources are produced, transformed and used in the city...
