This project is about the revitalization of the cultural center: “the Zuiderpershuis”. The complex of buildings is marked as a heritage site and represents an important part of the city of Antwerp and its history as an industrial harbor city. The current lack of used space on the site and its seclusion from the city fabric prevent the place from presenting itself as relevant place to the public of the city. By attaching a new build volume which is beneficial programmatically as well as economically and by altering the urban fabric this place could be the cultural center that it deserves. This is all done while honoring the idea and history of this building complex. Only then it can once again aspire to be a place that brings together people interested in the arts and crafts, but also many more.

This is the graduation project, in which illustrate the research and design results of the graduation year as a whole

The Productive City in Antwerp, a material research and textile production with integrated residence: The notion of working and living in the same place has been a particular aspect of every city in the past. With industrialization, especially production and crafts have been driven out of the inner city. With the emergence of the idea of the ‘Productive City’ many cities aim to reintegrate small scale production within the urban fabric to reactivate manufacturing and local production. This contributes to the development of an active community within a neighborhood. The design of a textile manufacturing workspace with integrated residence addresses the question of intimacy within work environments and how this can be translated into an architectural project.

Under the year theme, “Intimate City”, the task was to create “City Rooms” for the city of Antwerp. The method for developing this notion served as a common ground for the whole graduation process. Each of us in the chair chose one specific site to insert our idea of an urban constitution. My site is a private garden located on the street corner in the rural Oud-Berchem district, which consists of a villa and its back yard. The function is an elderly social house with community center.

Interiors, Buildings, Cities project on the intimate city; Het Water Ensemble is a series of wunderkammer exploring the journey towards disassociation from the bombastic city around.

Under the year theme of intimate city. The project is a sports hall located in Antwerp with informal space under the formal frame.