Médiacité, a shopping center in Liège, Belgium, has transformed a 6.5-hectare industrial wasteland into a vibrant destination. This multifunctional complex houses a 122-store shopping mall, television and radio studios, and a public plaza suitable for events. A municipal ice rink and cinemas are planned for the future.

Prioritizing sustainable development, Médiacité incorporates green roofing, waste sorting, natural lighting, rainwater collection, and solar energy to minimize environmental impact. Advanced materials and environmentally conscious practices are utilized in its design and construction. 

Already an urban landmark, Médiacité forms a strong urban axis in Liège with Santiago Calatrava’s Liège-Guillemins TGV station and the Musée d'Art moderne et d'Art contemporain - MAMAC.

Key features include a Texlon® ETFE roofing system optimizing light and insulation, 2,778 photovoltaic panels generating renewable energy on 9,000 square meters of rooftop space, and green roofs promoting biodiversity and rainwater absorption. An ISO 14001-certified environmental management system ensures continuous ecological impact monitoring.

The development integrates a renovated 1975 shopping center with a new regional mall. The original center was redesigned for improved accessibility and unit size, featuring a new spider-glass façade along Rue Grétry. Resident privacy in adjacent 1970s properties was enhanced with a dedicated entrance. The new mall's main axis connects Longdoz to the Meuse River, highlighted by a 400-meter glass roof.

Médiacité is the first BREEAM-certified retail center in Europe, meeting all criteria for sustainable development, including brownfield regeneration, efficient wastewater treatment, air-quality standards, low emissions, non-electric air-conditioning, free-cooling/night cooling, comprehensive waste sorting, and a tenant's 'green charter'. 

The Mediacité shopping center is one of the biggest in Belgium with a surface of more than 160,000 square meters. The concept of the building opened to the public was realized by the architect-designer Ron Arad with Jaspers-Eyers architects.

The shopping mall gallery measure 450 meters long and is characterized by an impressive wave glass roof that formed interlaced steel bands. Barrisol Laqué® "Rouge grenat" revitalizes the movements of this band on all its length, as well as in the center by dressing some rhombuses. With its futurist and audacious shapes, this shopping mall combines the most modern technologies and building materials.

The addition of a stunning roof to the Mediacite retail centre in Liège was a late addition to the architectural design, added by a brave client with the vision and determination to create a landmark for the community. Mall design and construction of the main buildings were well under way by the time Buro Happold came on board with the architects to design the centre piece of this new development.

Key facts

- Intersecting ribs span 35m long X 30m wide mall space - Hybrid structure takes advantage of shell action and resolves inconsistent boundary conditions of concrete structure underneath - Efficient procurement with local steelwork contractor on site

In the Longdoz district of Liège, a 6.5 hectare site of an abandoned steelwork factory has been transformed and is now home to Liège’s newest attraction, the Médiacité retail mall. The dramatic architecture of the building, the large number of exciting retail and leisure attractions and its great central location mean that Médiacité can expect to welcome more than six million customers each year from Belgium, Germany and Holland

Médiacité is a truly beautiful building, successfully combining technical excellence with visual elegance. The 350 m long mall weaves from the old market at Place Brenu to the new Belgian national television building at the RTBF Piazza. The intricate steelwork structure is free-spanning and is elegantly clad with Texlon® ETFE cushions. The Texlon® ETFE cushions provide various colours and textures, and even different thermal performances. Médiacité was one of the nominees for the biennial European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2011.

Several architectural practices were involved in the design of Médiacité including Ron Arad, Chapman Taylor and Jaspers-Eyers. Vector Foiltec was responsible for the design, fabrication and installation of over 130 Texlon® ETFE cushions.