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Antwerp, Belgium

First semester, International Master, Sint-Lucas, KU Leuven

A1 panel of the final proposal 

For the site chosen in Antwerp I designed a combined housing-commercial project consisting of over 18.000 square meter housing space and over 3.700 square meter commercial space. Inspired by the Unite d’habitation, the proposed housing includes three categories of apartments in 18 housing units, which are differentiated by the use of different materials on their external facades. This housing project is designed with the three pillars of sustainability in mind, offering environmental, social and financial ben- efits to the habitants. The non-conventional placement of the housing buildings on the site is related to their greatest advantage: the curved shape of the buildings and the orientation of their two facades have been designed so as to increase the sunlight exposure of the apartments; this not only increases the quality of life of the habitants, but, most importantly, decreases the need for heating, thus reducing the energy consumption, the cost of living and the environmental impact. Moreover, the buildings have been designed in such a way that each house has its own garden or green terrace, a feature that establishes a better connection to nature than most buildings in urban areas. The proposal includes the creation of a large public space, a green area with leisure facilities and spaces available to be defined by the users, since another goal was to explore the possibility of zero degree architecture within the site. Finally, the creation of a large commercial building will cover many needs of the habitants, providing an opportunity for economic growth for a neighbourhood that will benefit from the addition of a green, sustainable and aesthetically improved area. 

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