Municipality of Diest

A circular citadel in the city centre

Ever since 1837, the citadel of Diest has been one of the most important landmarks in Flemish Brabant. But after the departure of the paratroopers in 2011, the city wants to repurpose the building. From 2025 onwards, it will therefore become a circular place to live, work and play for young and old.

A minimum of raw materials

With the renovations of the citadel, Diest wants to set up a reference project in terms of sustainable restoration, fossil-free heating and circular development. For instance, it will reuse bricks from the citadel's walls to build new inner and outer walls. Are the bricks damaged? Then the municipality will use them as a foundation layer for streets or footpaths in the area.

Fossil-free heating

The citadel is right next to the Demer, the ponds of the Halve Maan and Aquafin's collectors. This allows the municipality to heat the areas with water and geothermal heat. At the foot of the citadel flows the old Demer arm, which has a heat potential of 3.7 megawatts. A sewage collector in the centre of Diest generates about an additional 0.4 megawatts. And with geothermal energy, a heat pump extracts geothermal heat from Mount Allerheiligen. This allows the citadel to be heated completely fossil-free.

Temporary workplaces for local initiatives

Because the renovation is taking place in phases, the city is also filling some spaces temporarily. A concessionaire rents the premises to local associations and entrepreneurs who emphasise circular business models.