The municipality of Etterbeek is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, located in its south-east. It has nearly 50,000 inhabitants, which represents 4% of the Brussels population. In 10 years, the population has increased by 7%, mainly due to international migratory growth. Etterbeek is home to 50% foreign nationals, of which nearly 3/4 are of European nationality.

The project carries a strong social objective, as it aims to improve the quality of life of the municipality’s residents by creating new spaces dedicated to various sports practices – particularly for young people – citizen gatherings, and school engagement.

The project also meets the municipality's ambition to reduce direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% by 2030, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Within this framework, the “public buildings” pillar, which involves improving the energy performance of existing infrastructures in the municipal domain or constructing new buildings with a low environmental impact, is essential.

The Stade Guy Thys extension project is an integral part of this ambition, involving transformations that are exemplary in terms of sustainability and energy performance. The technical installations, in particular the integration of heat pumps and photovoltaic panels, will improve the overall energy performance of the sports complex. Last but not least, the fact that the project will be built alongside the existing soccer club means that a number of services and functions, such as changing rooms, showers, cafeteria, etc., can be shared.