BESIX Group celebrates World Cities Day

31 October - United Nations’s annual day to highlight sustainable urban development around the world

BESIX Group excels in creating sustainable solutions for a better world. These are not just words, countless examples of this purpose can be seen in cities all over the world.

BESIX Group wants to contribute to a safer and greener planet and build a better place to live in. The goal is to go beyond the legal requirements in the social (People), environmental (Planet) and economic (Growth) areas, and that on a voluntary basis. As a global player the Group takes into account the specificities and the environmental requirements of each country while developing its CSR approach. Read more about our CSR actions here: https://www.besix.com/en/about/csr

This year’s theme of World Cities Day is “Valuing our communities and cities”. Here are some examples of how we contributed to this:

1. BESIX Clean Air Project, an innovative project to improve air quality

BESIX has developed a natural, air purifying technology that can be integrated into building blocks of various infrastructures.

BESIX Clean Air’s panels make use of mosses to improve air quality in places such as tunnel mouths, car parks, industrial sites and in densely populated areas such as schools and public buildings. Since the launch of its pilot project two years ago, which saw some promising results, the project has developed into a sustainable solution. The team is even cultivating moss species in a BESIX moss growing plant.

2. Manhattan, a forward-thinking skyscraper in Brussels

Manhattan is a forward-thinking skyscraper for Victory Advisors in the capital of Europe. At the age of 45, this high-rise office building in the Northern district of Brussels deserved a makeover.

In consortium with Louis De Waele, BESIX has been renovating this iconic office building over the last three years. The renovation included renewing the interior of the building, stripping the façade and adding two floors. Advanced technologies turn this high rise into a forward-thinking example of urban regeneration.

3. Masdar Institute Neighbourhood Housing, an example of sustainability in the Middle East

In 2019, Six Construct, the entity of BESIX Group in the Middle East, completed the Masdar Institute Neighbourhood Housing project in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi's sustainable city. The design and build, engineering, procurement and construction contract was awarded by Abu Dhabi Future Energy.

The project aims to create a sustainable, compact and walkable mixed-use district. It encompasses nine buildings and provided residential accommodation for Masdar Institute students, as well as corporate residences for a major airline, and an office building.

It also included high-performance specifications in terms of sustainability, which the Six Construct team successfully implemented. It has received the Estidama 3-Pearl rating and LEED Platinum rating for residential buildings and offices for its high efficiency and sustainability.