The RICH’L shopping centre in Waterloo, Belgium, is undergoing a major redevelopment to be more sustainable and to enhance shopping experience. It is operated by Redevco, a real estate investment management company. The shopping centre redevelopment project entered the final phase in January 2022.
Built in the 1970s, the shopping centre was renamed RICH’L, after its address (Drève Richelle), in the same month.
The site layout was reimagined to accommodate mixed commercial plans as part of the redevelopment.
The redevelopment project is expected to be completed in November 2022.
Location of RICH’L shopping centre
The RICH’L mall is situated on Drève Richelle 6, Waterloo, in Belgium. Shoppers can reach RICH’L by buses, as well as by car and bicycle.
Details of the RICH’L shopping centre redevelopment
Spanning 23,600m² (254,028ft²), the redeveloped shopping centre will feature up to 20 retail chains.
The first phase of the multi-phase redevelopment project started in 2018. The second phase of the project involved the demolition of the Auto 5 garage, and replacing it with a new building housing new tenants such as AS Adventure, Maisons du Monde, and Chaussures Delcambe.
The Quick and Pizza Hut restaurants at the shopping centre were demolished and three new pavilions were created to accommodate Pizza Hut, Burger King, and Medi-Market.
The former large Brico store was demolished as part of the final phase. It was moved to BIX shopping centre, in Waterloo. A new building will be constructed in its place to house several new stores.
The central square will house a food and beverage pavilion. A 1,000m² (10,763.9ft²) free-standing building will be occupied by new ING bank offices.
Furthermore, the project included the refurbishment of the car parking area at the site to increase parking spaces. The shopping centre’s parking spaces will increase to 700, along with eight charging stations for electric vehicles, upon completion.
The project plan also includes approximately 20 apartments at the intersection between the Chaussée de Tervuren, and Drève Richelle. Talks with the local municipal authorities are in progress.
The proposed apartments are expected to be built with their own underground parking spaces and dedicated entrance/exit, separate from the shopping centre.
Stores at the RICH’L shopping complex
The existing tenants within the shopping complex are from different categories including pharmaceutical, food, and home decor.
The stores include Brico, Lunch Garden, Carrefour, Tip Top Couture, Fast & Clean, Maisons du Monde, Burger King, AS Adventure, Pizza Hut, Medi-Market, Shell petrol station, and The Box.
New tenants that signed up to open their stores at the shopping complex include Intersport, a sporting goods retailer; 4 Murs, a home décor brand; Ville Neuve, a fashion and accessories brand; and Komini, an amusement park for children.
Sustainability features at RICH’L shopping centre
Several measures are being implemented to make the site and the buildings sustainable, as part of Redevco’s ambitions to achieve carbon-free operations across its portfolio by 2040.
The shopping complex site features indigenous plant species and RICH’L incorporates sustainable materials in its construction. It is also implementing initiatives such as thermal insulation, natural lighting, green roofs, waste management, and rainwater reuse.
The site will be installed with approximately 2,300 solar panels on the rooftop, to generate 790,000kWh of clean energy a year. The produced clean electricity is expected to be the equivalent of the energy required to power 226 households. The plan is to supply the generated solar power to the tenants to meet their energy needs.
The tenants have also committed to implement measures to reduce their impact on the environment.
The permeability of the car park facilitates the penetration of rainwater into the soil.
The final building is expected to be completely carbon dioxide (CO₂)-neutral, with higher insulation values than the present standards. Recyclable construction materials will also be used for the building.
The Medi-Market and Pizza Hut units were made of wood, which allows the structures to be completely dismantled and reused.
Redevco is targeting BREEAM-In-Use ‘Excellent’ certification for all the new buildings within the shopping centre site.
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