Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu
On Friday 11 September 2026, BPI Real Estate Luxembourg and Unibra Real Estate held a topping-out ceremony (Fête du Bouquet) marking a new construction milestone for the ROOTS real estate project in Esch-Belval’s Central Square.
The event brought together around 100 guests, including Luxembourg’s Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning Claude Meisch and Sanem Mayor Simone Asselborn-Bintz.
ROOTS is a mixed-use development comprising 102 apartments, as well as office and retail space, across a total area of more than 20,000 m². The project, which is scheduled for completion in summer 2027, combines a concrete base with six above-ground levels built around a timber structure and is designed around a low-carbon approach.
“This is a win-win situation for all stakeholders. On the one hand, the State receives 30 additional homes to rent out as affordable housing. On the other hand, it allows the real estate development and construction sector to launch projects and better market the remaining homes,” stated Minister Meisch. He added that the government had recently allocated an additional €300 million to support further acquisitions of housing projects, building on an initial envelope of close to €500 million that has already been committed and covers around 860 homes under construction.
“Building a building is one step. Building a place to live is an ambition. And that is precisely the ambition that brings us together today,” added Simone Asselborn-Bintz. She said ROOTS forms part of Belval’s wider transformation from a former industrial site into a district combining housing, work, education, culture and everyday life, adding that projects such as ROOTS should contribute not only to urban development but also to creating spaces where people can meet, live and take part in community life.
Thibault Relecom, CEO of Unibra SA, told Chronicle.lu that the project had been launched in very different market conditions and later faced rising construction costs and interest rates. He noted that the State’s acquisition of around 30 of the 102 apartments helped the developers move forward with the project. “When you say, as a developer, ‘let’s do it’, you have to put more equity. But in return, you have people working and you keep the development cycle moving, so it’s important to keep it like this,” he said.
The official speeches concluded with the traditional placement of the bouquet on the building structure, followed by a group photo bringing together representatives of the project partners and public authorities.
Another highlight of the day was a low-carbon press tour held ahead of the ceremony, led by Frédéric Vingtans, Development & Sustainability Director at BPI Real Estate, together with representatives of LCBI, CLE, Woodshapers and Hydro. Vingtans explained that carbon performance had been integrated into the project from the design stage, with the team seeking a measurable framework for its low-carbon ambitions. Cécile Dap, Director of LCBI, noted that the certification assesses carbon performance over the building’s entire life cycle, including both energy use and embodied carbon linked to design and materials. ROOTS became the first building certified under the LCBI framework at European level and achieved its highest “Excellent” rating.
During the site visit, the project team presented the hybrid construction approach combining timber, concrete and steel, with the choice of material depending on structural, regulatory and environmental requirements. They also highlighted the use of prefabrication, the carbon storage potential of timber and the need to manage issues such as moisture, fire resistance and acoustics from the design stage. The project also uses exterior joinery made from 100% recycled aluminium, produced at Hydro’s recycling facility in Clervaux. According to the team, producing recycled aluminium requires around twenty times less energy than conventional production and has a carbon footprint around ten times lower than the global average.
The project team said the experience gained from ROOTS could also help inform future low-carbon construction projects in Luxembourg.
