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Aesthetic audacity meets structural safety: the RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products solution for the Bellecour complex

Jaspers-Eyers Architects’ bold design for the Bellecour complex required a roofing solution capable of withstanding intense wind loads on extreme gradients; RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products delivered the necessary stability without compromising the building's sculptural integrity.

Sant Celoni – June 2026  –  Modern architecture is increasingly defined by the search for a continuous, monolithic aesthetic where the roof is no longer a separate element but an integral part of the building's skin. To bring such ambitious visions to life, architects require advanced materials that can adapt to complex geometries without forcing a compromise on the original creative intent. 

The Bellecour complex in Braine-l’Alleud (Belgium) is a prime example of this synergy, where extreme slopes and a specific visual identity demanded a versatile and lightweight roofing solution capable of turning a sculptural concept into a structural reality.

Through its expertise and high-performance systems, RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products has enabled this architectural audacity, ensuring the structure is perfectly adapted to the demands of modern urbanisation while maintaining a commitment to durable protection and circular economy principles.

The challenge: complex geometries and environmental stresses

The primary difficulty of the Bellecour project lay in its extraordinary structural demands, particularly regarding the roof's geometry. The surfaces featured record-breaking inclinations, with slopes ranging from 20° to nearly 70°. In a town centre location, managing these angles of inclination alongside critical wind loads and shear forces required an uncompromising technical approach.

Ensuring long-term stability on such steep pitches was essential to protecting both the building's integrity and its complex architectural profile.

The solution: technical engineering at the service of creativity

The vision of Jaspers-Eyers Architects for the Bellecour complex required a seamless transition between the facade and the roof, creating a continuous "architectural skin". 

This sculptural, monolithic design was made possible by the versatility of RENOLIT ALKORPLAN Solar profiles. Originally designed for securing photovoltaics, these ultra-lightweight profiles served as a secure mounting base for ceramic tiles identical to those on the walls of the façade, ensuring total aesthetic continuity across the entire envelope.

"The greatest challenge was the record-breaking inclinations. By combining the RENOLIT ALKORPLAN F Classic membrane with our Solar profiles, we provided a solution that manages shear forces and wind loads perfectly while maintaining the building’s complex geometry”, explains Bart Vanden Hautte, Technical Manager RENOLIT Belgium.

This configuration, installed by RENO-TECH Toitures Étanchéité using hot-air welding, allowed the tiles to be anchored without ever piercing the underlying waterproofing. This technical synergy effectively eliminated infiltration risks, proving that high-performance engineering is the primary enabler of modern urban design.

 

The human factor: experience and partnership

The success of a technically demanding project like Bellecour is built upon more than just advanced materials; it is the result of a long-standing professional synergy. RENOLIT and the installer, RENO-TECH Toitures Étanchéité, share a historical partnership spanning over 20 years. This mutual trust and combined expertise were fundamental in overcoming the project's complexities within a tight execution schedule.

"Our relationship with RENOLIT is historical," states Hugues Binet, RENO-TECH Toitures Étanchéité. "The combination of RENOLIT’s technical studies and our on-site expertise allowed us to meet a difficult technical challenge on time. It brings us great satisfaction, and I believe this opens the door to future projects using similar techniques with a variety of different finishing materials”, he adds. 

The extraordinary versatility of the RENOLIT ALKORPLAN Solar profile has been the key to this success: originally a technical solution for energy, it has evolved into a powerful creative tool for the building envelope. By allowing diverse finishes onto a safe, waterproof base, this project moves beyond traditional boundaries, opening new horizons for urban architecture where functionality and aesthetic vision are no longer in conflict. 

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RENOLIT ALKORPLAN Roofing

Part of the German RENOLIT Group, RENOLIT ALKORPLAN is one of the reference points for the production of durable, versatile, and high-quality certified synthetic membranes for waterproofing roofs and covers, swimming pools, and civil engineering works. Headquartered in Sant Celoni, north of Barcelona, the market unit has about 350 employees and a production of one million rolls of membranes a year.

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