Water uses in Brussels

Water has played a structural role in shaping the city of Brussels. Back in the 1900, the city was totally fragmented by its watercourses. The image we have nowadays of Bruges or Ghent, was actually similar to Brussels at that time. Few major elements did changed it to what is it right now such as the vaulting of the Zenne/Senne and the creation of the Brussels-Charleroi Canal.

In this chapter, the scope will be oriented towards the understanding of water elements present in Brussels. It will also understand the shaping faculties and socio-spatial interactions they can trigger. An historical development of water uses will executed to grasp the socio-cultural impacts linked to the management of water resource components.

A good example to shortly understand the concept, is Berlin (see figure on the adjacent page). The wall and separation of the city, induced the construction of two separate water management systems. When the wall was teared apart, the two metastructures were connected together through huge blue and pink pipes. Those are still visible nowadays. The structural and interactive role it invoked and the role it plays in the city today, is to my concern, an interesting and thought provoking concept to reflect on. The same reflection will be intended on the global history of water interaction in Brussels.

The first known use of water of the history of Brussels is the Senne/Zenne. The inhabitants enjoyed the watercourse for bathing and supply them in water for basic needs.

[Fountains] From the XVI century and maybe even before, fountains took the role of the Zenne/Senne and played a major part in providing neigbourhoods in local drinkable water. They were also main exchange places with markets: those gathering spaces allowed discussion while collecting the necessary water for basic needs. Some of those fountains are pretty well known nowadays but most of them disappeared with time. For example, the fountain situated on the Grand Place vanished in 1767 during the renovation of the Maison du Roi. The Mannekenpis also had a vocation to supply a neighbourhood in water, not being like today, an attraction for a myriad of tourists.

Fig. 3 - Etching of Mannekenpis (1697) (Source: De Fonteinen van Brussel)

After the years as the water network was put in place in 1900, fountains lost their utility, only providing decorative characters to the city. Since then, they fell into a relative forgetfulness.

Fig. 4 - Location of the Administrative Centre (Source: www.morethangreen.com)

Running Water - 1900

Paid Holidays Car Era - 1960

Water Management Plan (PGE) 2002 1500 Use of Fountains

1771

1831 1832 1848 & 1849

1864 1866

1902

1930 1931 1934 1935 1939

1950

1980

2013 2016 2021 Law against swimming in Zenne (Security / Nudity)

Cholera Pandemic Charleroi Canal Cholera Pandemic

First Public Bath Vaulting of Zenne

First Shower Pavillion

Invention of Swimwear G.Brunfaut plan Evere Solarium (1978) Daring Solarium (1950) Building of Hofstade

Bikini is popular

Building Communal Pools Phase I Hygienism 1860 - 1900 Water / Sanitation

Phase II Hygienism 1930- 1955 Water / Air / Sun

Kanal Plan Canal Pool Is Cool ......... ?

[Cholera Pandemics] In 1831 and 1848 but also in 1849, several cholera pandemics shook the city. At that time, the city is living a demographic boom due to its industry . The poor conditions of living and hygiene pushed the government and city councils to search for a way to stop and prevent those pandemics. As a response, after discovering the therapeutical role of water, thanks to the work of Pasteur, in the end of the XVIII century, water became an essential element for personal hygiene. An effort was realised by the city to supply all neighbourhood in water and a sewage system was put in place. It is also at that time in 1866, that Anspach start vaulting the watercourses of Brussels in the effort to sanitize the city. It is the first hygienism period.

[Public Baths] In 1869, the Superior Council for Public Hygiene voted to endow the introduction of public cleaning facilities. This is how the concept of public baths appeared in Brussels. The idea, inspired by the Frederick Street Bath and Washhouse, was imported from London where it was invented in 1842. From this date, people start taking baths in hospitals (Saint-Jean, Saint-Pierre) at first then in the newly build public baths. The first one will be built in the popular and poor neighbourhood of Marolles, Les Bains Economiques were designed by W.Janssens in 1854. He would plan 60 baths but only 37 will be built (30 for men, 7 for women). They will suffer from a huge success, 8.000 entries in the first year. They were demolished in 1953 due to their poor condition.

[Public Showers] In the meanwhile, the concept of shower is appearing in Germany in 1887. Used in the military caserns, the tepid shower is felt to be the bath of the future. On the Place du Jeu de Balles in the Marolles and linked to the cité Hellemans proposal (1905), a more economic showers proposal will take place. A waiting room leads to a corridor deserving 9 cabins with private cloakroom. Exclusively authorised for men, the price of 15cents, it comprises soap, towel and 15min access to the shower. In 1903, a second pavilion of ‘Bains-douches populaires’ is inaugurated on the Rue de Clé, 18. Most of public shower and baths building were destroyed after the personal bathroom was invented in the 1960’s.

[Second hygienism movement] In 1934, a second wave of hygienism hit the country. Promoting access to air, water and sun, the city starts building Solariums. It is at that time that the notion of leisure and relaxation start to become important. The paid holidays introduced in 1936, start to turn pools into recreational places. The solarium of Evere and Daring Solarium of Molenbeek are then designed and built. Both building won’t last long and in the 60’s, due to economic problems , bad weather and car allowing people to travel, the solarium are definitely closed.

Fig. 5 - Daring Solarium (Source: www.reflexcity.net) [Communal Pools] It is in the same period of the construction the first bathhouse, that the first covered swimming pool was opened in 1879. The Bain Royal, in Notre-Dame-Aux-Neiges district, mainly for the bourgeoisie was demolished in 1969.

At the that, the only hygiene measure taken was to empty the pool once a week. During winter the pool was covered with wooden boards and used as party hall and theatre. The second pool, Bassin de L’abattoire, was constructed in 1901 and alimented by water from the Canal. From this point, pools will emerge as the educational and sportive infrastructure. A huge educational program trained pupils to swim. In 1890 swimming clubs also appear, first for the bourgeoise then it got popularised. As political argument, city administrator start to build communal pools from the 1930’s to content their electors. It will peak until the 90’s. Since then few new pools were open and renovated. To this day no open-air pool are present on the territory of brussels.

[Bathroom] In 1890, basic sanitation was done in a basin or a bucket in the middle of the living room. As running water was installed in the city from 1900, a particular apart room was introduced in the housing. The primary bathroom featured a toilet, a tub, a water heater and a shower. 60 years later, in 1960, only 70 percent of the houselholds had a basic bathroom, the rest still used public showers. It is only in the 70’s and 80’s that the bathroom becomes the norm. At that time, bathhouses start to vanish as the use set off.

[Bikini] In the XVIII century, people bath into the Zenne/Senne in their birthday suit. Indeed, it is mainly because of nudity problem and prudishness, that bathing is forbidden in the Brussels watercourses. In 1900, the swimming costume is invented. It is composed of a big piece of fabric covering the full body. In 1920, for practical reason and to be able to swim, arms and legs are uncovered. A major turn is made in 1932 when Louis Réart, conceive the bikini. First unpopular, it will become the norm in the 50’s.

[Hofstade] In 1934, as a part of the second hygienist movement, G. Brunfaut designs a urban strategy of public pools for Brussels. Numerous ideas emerged from this global proposal and new open-air swimming pool solutions were envisioned. None of his suggestions were built except the notion of openair urban beach, which made his way to Victor Bourgeois and what is today known as Hofstade. The beach around a lake had a huge moment of success in the 70’s but is nowadays too inaccessible and unattractive and barely survives.

[Kanal Plan Canal ] In 2013, the city decided to develop the area around the Canal which was mostly industrial ground with low value. Since then major projects such as Beco Park and Gijs Van Vaerenbergh proposal for a new park connecting the citizen back with their canal.

[Pool is Cool] Since 2012, the nonprofit organisation tends to question the inhabitants around water features. Proposing temporary water interaction elements and projects of open-air swimming pools they refreshed the landscape of water related elements of the last decades.

[PGE] The Plan de Gestion des Eaux or Water Management Plan was put in place 2002 as proposal to respond to the bad water quality of the Canal and Senne /Zenne. Thanks to this plan a better management of the watercourses is planned. Several proposal such as the reopening of the Zenne/ Senne in Anderlecht were realised.

[Urban Water Management] In Brussels, a complex infrastructure of distributive pipes and collecting sewages processes is constitutive of the water management system. In the lower part of the Brussels’ valley, the sewage, which collects the rainwaters and waste water

indifferently, overfloods frequently. This hydric system which doesn’t separate the rain water is particularly poorly thought.

The drinkable water is majorly captured in La Meuse and in the Hoyoux sources (Huy) or in other part of the Hainaut. Other sources are forgotten about as they don’t serve any particular function nowadays. Most of their waters are directly discharged in ancient watercourses (Molenbeek, Maelbeek, Geleystbeek) which are ultimately directed in the collectors.

Rainwaters, which fall on the urban permeable surfaces: roofs, courtyards, roads and sidewalk, are drained directly in the sewage system also.

For those reasons, when it rains, the amount of water introduced in the sewers is overloading and overfloding, to an extent some part of the Canal area flood. In the 70’s, a storm basins were put in place to try to solve the problem. As a consequence, rainwaters are conveyed to the water treatment facilities with the grey waters. Both of them are treated and discharged into the hydrographic network leading to the North Sea.

During major rainfalls, the sewers overflood and use the canal and Zenne/ Senne as a storm basin. This reflux is the major factor of pollution (faeces / grey water, laundry soap).

While treating the rainwater as a waste, by throwing it in the sewage system, it actually creates more problems. The rainwater is a free and safe resource which is totally neglected. A greater awareness could help to rethink the system and provide circular and resilient solutions. (Both of those cycles, the actual linear water cycle and a revisited circular water cycle are presented on the following pages)

[Water needs] If we think of water as a resource in the global world, its access for sanitation and basic needs involvement is not dispensed to everybody. Indeed, drinking water is not accessible to a growing number of people (estimated to around 1.4 billion).

On the other hand, in modernised Western countries, the resource is usually misused and spilled. Some issues connected to pollution are also huge concerns. This is why in 2001, a college of specialists lead by Riccardo Petrella publicly addressed the subject. The idea was to research and propose easy solutions to help distribute basic access to the resource in poorer countries while solving some misuses in more developed societies. Subsequently after, Riccardo Petrella published a book, The Water Manifesto, which is now a global reference. The scope of the book extended the research and theorized the notion of water as common good. He expresses some real concerns about the unconsidered topic of basic water uses and tries to alert the scientific and political actors.

The lack of basic water access, is still present in nowadays Brussels. Poorer families, transmigrants and homeless individuals still suffer from it. On the hand, the water management system present in Brussels does not value the Rainwater as its real merit. Another climatic concerns is reinforcing this issue leading to droughts during summer months. This is why an understanding about the water management system will be established in the following paragraphs.

[Conclusion] Water has influenced the landscape of urban Brussels in history. Some potentialities to resolve current issues with water-related systems are envisioned in a near future.

CIRCULAR WATER USE

Rainwater City Tap Water

FILTRATION 0,0033 €/ L

Ground Percolation Toilet Washing Machine Shower Kitchen Sink

Water Evaporation

Zenne Senne Canal Black Water Grey Water

Sewage Collector

Sewage Water

Water Treatment Facility

Drinkable Water Water Distribution

URBAN WATER CYCLE DRINKING WATER CYCLE