Bekaert Hemiksem

Soil remediation of the Bekaert Hemiksem brownfields, a huge but heavily polluted area near Antwerp. This huge plot of land was once a steel wire & cord producing plant of the Bekaert Group. Operations at this factory ceased in 2009. I photographed the entire plant right after its closure, for archival purposes. The Bekaert factory was demolished in 2016.

Soil remediation by DEME is now ongoing and is expected to end in 2026. To prevent spillage and leaks to underground water basins the entire area is confined within protective foils, quite the feature! The consortium Compagnie Het Zoute, Odebrecht and Novus Projects now owns this large plot of land and will redevelop it into a beautiful residential area.