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Dry Docks Park, AntwerpMeasure and Interval
Client Stadplanning Antwerp
Architecture Van Belle & Medina, Antwerp
Work stagesCompetition 2011: 1st prize; all work stages
Period2011–2014
Area Global Vision: 28 ha, 1st phase: 14 ha
On the northern edge of the city of Antwerp, a former
industrial harbour site gets transformed into a vibrant
new park. The project forms a key part of Antwerp’s
development plan for the historic quayside. Dry
Docks Park is planned as a significant attraction for
the local and visiting public – a place of orientation at
the meeting point of city, harbour and landscape.
The existing attributes of the site lend it to this inten-
tion. The site is bounded on all sides by water and
accessed in four places by crossing lock gates and
bridges: Moments of arrival and departure are thus
already clearly articulated. The natural tidal riverbank
of the river Scheldt offers far-reaching rural views
and ideal contrast to the city and harbour skyline
seen from the historic dry dock harbour. Throughout
the site listed buildings and other structures includ-
ing a popular rudimentary ‘Belvedere’ and pier bring
scale and interest to the flat terrain.
The design approach is to strengthen the identity of
existing assets and connect them through a network
of footpaths and cycle paths. The strategy is derived
from the tradition of the English landscape park,
which aims to establish the “measure and interval of
events” in a landscape without predetermining form.
Considered orchestration of a visitor’s movement
and gaze allows the unification of diverse ‘events’ in
the mind of a visitor:
The Belvedere is the definitive place of orientation
and gathering of a formality and scale reminiscent of
Antwerp’s former fortifications. The Landscape Park
spreads the levels of the proposed dyke to enrich the
topography of the site appropriate for diverse uses.
The conservation of part of the Dry Docks as a visitor
attraction belongs to a future project phase.
Site plan
Belvedere
Lighthouse Pier
Landscape Park
Garden Restaurant
Dry Docks
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Overview of site model
View of dike and wetland path
View towards Belvedere and wetland
View of Sunken Playground
Model studies Belvedere
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