Lybover FIRE can add a nice reference to its portfolio: Quartier Bleu in Hasselt. The mega-project is a realisation of Chateaux Real Estate, Matexi and architect Alfredo De Gregorio. It comprises twelve residences, more than 400 flats, 14 town houses, some 50 retail and catering outlets and an underground car park for 2,350 cars. Lybover FIRE was approached for this project by the temporary partnership Building Group Jansen – THV Strabag/Houben. Lybover supplied some fire safety solutions for the underground parking and the shopping boulevard.
Parking Blue Boulevard consists of three levels with a total area of 65,000 square metres. Escalators and lifts take visitors to the catering quay and shopping boulevard. The so-called ‘Connector’, a nicely finished meeting space with a few extra shops, is reminiscent of a harbour environment and refers to the marina where the Connector is located. The space ensures that the upper and lower parts of the building flow seamlessly into each other.
Combination of solutions for underground car park and shopping boulevard
In the car park we opted for a combination of horizontal and vertical smoke and heat extraction. The latter because of the raised area next to the Connector. In order to offer the customer the best solution and guarantee compliance with legislation, we performed fire simulations in-house. Part of the car park was designed for loading and unloading trucks. A separate study was made for this, which was approved after consultation with the fire brigade and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. For the shop part, Lybover FIRE provided, in addition to the smoke and heat exhaust installation, burglar-resistant roller shutters and fire compartmentalisation with regard to a nearby space by means of a fire screen EI 60.
It is not the first time that Lybover FIRE has worked in this area. Commissioned by real estate group Kolmont we installed the smoke and heat extraction in the underground car parks of Zuidzicht, a series of luxury apartment buildings on the other side of the canal. The buildings were erected in several construction phases. The last phase ran parallel with the Blauwe Boulevard project.