Segment Noord, Over De Ring, Antwerp, BE
The Flemish Government together with the City of Antwerp have commissioned six international design teams to make proposals for a ‘once in a life-time’ project, to cap the Antwerp Ring Road. Each design team worked on a separate segment of the Ring Road and in close collaboration with residents, local businesses and a wide range of city institutions and administrations.
Segment Noord Masterplan
The ambitions of ‘Over De Ring’ are to create connections between neighbourhoods, intensify districts with living and working functions, provide more outdoor space for parks and leisure and to start a city-wide social dialogue about the project’s opportunities. The team led by BUUR, with Studio Woodroffe Papa, Latz + Partner and Greisch, made a vision for ‘Segment Noord’, comprising the districts of Luchtbal and Merksem, the economic zone of the Albert Canal and the Noordkasteel area. The Flemish Government and the Antwerp City Council jointly decided to realise the majority of our proposals, representing a total investment of €464 million as part of the ‘Oosterweel Connection’, an ambitious tunnel and infrastructural project that will close a crucial missing link in the Ring Road. Construction of the works will start in 2019 and will last until 2027.
The masterplan for 'Segment Noord' sets out the planning strategies to connect the city districts of Luchtbal and Merksem with new parks, sports areas and ecological zones (both next to the Ring and over the Ring) and suggests architectural and urban guidelines for a mixed-use business district to be built around Luchtbal train station, which will function as future multi-nodal public transport hub for bus, tram, trains and bicycles.
One of the main components of the masterplan is the central metropolitan park with its green links, ecological zones and places for events, sports, recreation and leisure. One significant technical challenge was how to architecturally and programmatically ‘mask’ a series of large voids in the park that are required for releasing dust and polluted air from the road and rail tunnels below. This challenge was solved by proposing light-weight glass structures that can house urban farming, allotments gardens and a land-mark destination project for Antwerp - the city’s first botanical garden.
To the north, a new undulating landscape with hill-top views over the city is proposed with extensive green areas for play, hiking and bike trails that link to the forests and parks north of the city.
To the west, and on the banks of the Schelde, the Noordkasteel and new Droogdokkenpark will function as a new city destination with outdoor swimming facilities and space for sports and leisure activities. To the south, a garden bridge between the Ringparken and Droogdokkenpark extends ecological links from ‘Segment Noord’ to ‘Segment Noordoost’. A new bicycle highway over the green bridge connects ‘Segment Noord’ to the city centre.
Segment Noord, Over De Ring, Antwerp, BE
Client
City of Antwerp, Flemish Government
Design Team
BUUR, Studio Woodroffe Papa, Latz+Partner and Greisch in collaboration with Levuur, Tree Company, ProFlow, 3E and eld en Anno
Programme
530,000m2 housing, 99,000m2 offices, 81,000m2 workspace, 59,000m2 retail, 86,000m2 amenities
Site area
300 ha