The establishment of Aerospacelab in Marcinelle is part of Charleroi Métropole's industrial redeployment strategy. This company, specialized in the manufacture of satellite platforms, addresses the need to rethink the local industry. The project has been entrusted to RESERVOIR A and OFFICE KGDVS. It is located on Emile Rousseau Avenue, at the entrance to the Technopôle de la Villette, occupying two plots separated by the avenue. The western plot now hosts the former headquarters of Ateliers de constructions électriques de Charleroi (ACEC), built in 1971. It has been transformed into a parking lot while retaining its remarkable Corten steel structure.
The factory itself is located in the middle of the eastern plot. Its oval shape reconnects the surrounding residential and industrial neighborhoods. The project explores a completely new industrial typology, taking the form of a "Megafactory" with an unapologetic monumental presence. The approach to entering the factory has been meticulously designed down to the smallest details. The first step is the parking entrance, marked by a vast circular ramp. Visitors then cross the footbridge that spans Avenue Rousseau. This footbridge serves as a strong landscape marker, framing the entrance to the Technopôle. It leads to the factory roof, where a large green terrace has been created. This entrance feature invites users to enter the building from above, allowing Aerospacelab to showcase its activities from the top down, using numerous visual connections that have been established.
The layout frees up a vast production space in the center, known as the "clean room." Other functions housed in the building are arranged around this central space. On the ground floor, smaller rooms are placed around the perimeter of the clean room. The first floor is designed as a mezzanine, occupying the entire perimeter of the building and leaving an open space in the center. The top floor, organized as an open-plan space, accommodates the company's offices. To maximize natural light, the building features large circular skylights. These transverse openings strengthen the connections between the different areas of the factory.
