Gedempte Zuiderdokken, Belgian Masterplan, Competition Shortlist, Images

Gedempte Zuiderdokken

Public Space in Antwerp – design by Graeme Massie Architects and Sutherland Hussey Harris

14 Oct 2015

Gedempte Zuiderdokken in Antwerp

Design: Graeme Massie Architects and Sutherland Hussey Harris

A team comprising Graeme Massie Architects and Sutherland Hussey Harris, with engineering services provided by AECOM, have been shortlisted for the redevelopment of the Gedempte Zuiderdokken in Antwerp.

The full shortlist for the project, which forms part of the current Open Call procedure administered by Vlaams Bouwmeester, is as follows:
• Graeme Massie Architects / Sutherland Hussey Harris
• Georges Descombes / ADR architectes
• Agence TER / WIT architecten
• COBE / BRUT
• InsideOutside

Brief Project Description
The ‘Gedempte Zuiderdokken’ are a unique open space in Antwerp’s urban fabric. When the city was extended to the south at the end of the 19th century, three docks were dug in this area for the expansion of the harbour activity on the quays along the Scheldt.

Slightly less than a century later, around 1969, the harbour activity shifted northwards and these three docks were filled in. Since then, the space has largely been used as a free car park. Sports and play facilities have been set up at the two ends. Since the 1980s, the ‘South’ district has systematically been transformed by private and public initiatives into an attractive neighbourhood with a number of major cultural attractions; however, the public space of the ‘Gedempte Zuiderdokken’ has not kept up with this evolution. Antwerp city council has now set ambitious objectives with the aim of making the square a high-quality urban space once again. The re-use and re-ordering of this exceptional public space (which is nearly one kilometre long and over 100m wide) will be a major challenge, but also a great opportunity.