1

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

© V

OG

T

2

Overview of site model

View of dike and wetland path

View towards Belvedere and wetland

View of Sunken Playground

Model studies Belvedere

© V

OG

T©

VO

GT

© V

OG

T©

VO

GT

© V

OG

T

© V

OG

T