Ring 9 renovation

Programme: ‘Ensure that Charleroi's Petite Ceinture (R9) plays a more positive role in the identity of the urban space.’ This is what emerges from the specifications drawn up by the Walloon Region and the City of Charleroi in 2012. The judicious collaboration between the architects of RESERVOIR A, the artist Jean Glibert and the lighting designer Jacques Fryns will radically transform the R9.

About: Belgian architect and urban planner Jean Yernaux designed the general layout of the R9 in the 1970s. Divided into seven sections, it was not designed or built in the same way throughout. The implementations varied according to the designated designers, who opted for two different types of materials: concrete and steel. Since it opened in 1975, the R9 has gradually deteriorated. Due to a lack of sufficient maintenance, the neglected areas have become veritable urban blights.
Restoration of the southern part of the project will begin in 2014. It will be carried out in two parts, over a distance of 1.8 km, with 15 bridges and viaducts and 9 access ramps. According to RESERVOIR A, this is not an easy operation: "There are many obstacles. The structures cross the Sambre River, the Charleroi-Central railway station and its tracks, a handful of roads and entire neighbourhoods. " The urban impact is undeniable, and renovation alone is not enough to change perceptions. By using a neutral colour, bronze, for the underlying sections and a stronger colour palette for the upper parts (beams, decks and pier ends), artist Jean Glibert's proposal accentuates the floating effect intrinsic to the whole. A total of 24 red and black colour interventions will highlight the sculptural qualities of the infrastructure. Each location crossed by the R9 will thus take on a new identity. More than an architectural project, it is a monumental work of art.