Royal Hamilius is a major mixed-use development in the heart of Luxembourg City developed by Codic International. The project seeks to enhance the city’s urban fabric, extending the vibrant historic core of the city and creating a new destination adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the old City of Luxembourg. Bringing together a dynamic mix of places to work, live and play, the design transforms the area on the edge of the historic centre into a vibrant urban quarter with a variety of social and civic spaces. A key node in the city’s bus and tram network, it comprises a department store, offices, shops, and apartments, all of which come together to create a lively neighbourhood.
Designed as a gateway to the historic quarter of the city, the development is anchored by the historic Hotel des Postes, which provides the backdrop to a new civic square. The arrangement of buildings maintains the principal visual axis along the Grand Rue and Avenue Monterey and draws on the existing urban identity of Luxembourg, replicating its diversity of spaces. A 9000-square-metre department store sits at one end of Grand Rue, with a public rooftop garden offering panoramic views of the city and a new destination for visitors and locals. The design seeks to increase urban permeability – transforming Rue Aldringen into a pedestrianised shopping street and offering several routes through the site to the heart of the city.
The project boasts impressive sustainable credentials, with an aim to achieve a BREEAM – Excellent rating. It includes a ‘thermal labyrinth’ – an innovative passive ventilation system that pushes warm air from outside through a maze-like concrete chamber under the basement slab, using the high thermal mass of concrete to cool the air, which is then supplied throughout the buildings. The use of stone throughout unifies the whole scheme, and all buildings feature landscaped accessible roofs.
