In the south of Dudelange, the historic site of the “Schmelz” is being transformed to host a new neighborhood that is exemplary in terms of energy and environmental performance. Rooted in a steelmaking past marked by the presence of a rolling mill and a steel plant, this site retains its iconic buildings while integrating them into an ambitious urban project. Led by the Fonds du logement of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the redevelopment aims for carbon neutrality, combining heritage conservation with technical innovation.
The rebirth of the rolling mill
Stretching more than 600 meters in length and 20 meters in height, the rolling mill has been completely stripped bare to reveal the strength of its steel frame. It will become a vast canopy housing residential and office spaces, covered with semi-transparent photovoltaic modules that promote both natural lighting and electricity generation.
Bureau greisch conducted a structural study on the effects of the new façade openings, which significantly alter wind behavior and generate major uplift forces. Of the 3,800 tons of structure analyzed, 2,600 tons will be preserved and renovated, 550 tons dismantled, 250 tons replaced, and about 400 tons added in the form of bracings and reinforcements.
The renovation works, of colossal scale, include stripping, repainting, and strengthening more than 150 km of bars and connections. Detailed surveys, probes, digital models, and tests – including wind tunnel experiments – make it possible to understand past loads and behaviors and to accurately size the required reinforcements.
Managing thermal peak loads – with variations reaching up to 4 MW between an average winter and an extreme scenario – led greisch to propose an innovative system combining an auxiliary boiler with buffer storage of several hundred m³ of water. This “SMART” system smooths out demand, takes advantage of solar production peaks, and strengthens local self-consumption. In parallel, the integration of around 1,500 charging points for electric vehicles – with some cars acting as temporary batteries – turns the steel plant into a key player in the energy strategy of the future neighborhood.
Showcasing the steel plant
A true “industrial cathedral” of the 1960s, the steel plant rises to 28 meters under the roof. Now stripped of its equipment, it retains an impressive volume that will be preserved: all technical installations will be grouped on the roof, freeing up the interior space for future uses still to be defined.
The engineers of greisch completely redesigned the 2,100-ton steel structure to develop solutions adapted to new operating loads and wind stresses. The main girders spanning 36 meters and 2.5 m high will be preserved and reinforced, while certain elements too deteriorated (purlins, welded roof sheets, hangers) will be replaced. Reinforcements include additional bracings, welded plates, or rivet replacements.
The renovation also foresees a rigorous phasing to maintain structural stability during the works. A partial depollution of lead-based paints will be carried out by laser stripping.
- Client: Fonds du logement of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
- Architect: Canevas
- Structural Engineering and MEP & Energy: Bureau greisch
- Timeline:
- Steel plant (Studies): ≈ 06/2024 > 01/2026
- Steel plant (Works): ≈ 01/2026 > 01/2027
- Rolling mill (Studies): ≈ 06/2024 > 06/2026
- Rolling mill (Works): ≈ 06/2026 > 01/2032
