How should Linkeroever further develop? An adaptive structure, based on three design principles (Common Landscape, Common Amenities and Common Space), for the idea competition Antwerp Linkeroever.
Antwerp Linkeroever
Linkeroever is the urban district at the West of the river Scheldt. It has been developped in several phases since the 1950s and is characterised by its natural borders (the river and forests), its morpholigical variety of the quarters (villa areas to CIAM developments) and its rigid wide lanes structure between the different quarters. For this district an idea competition was set up, with the goal to give new ideas and insights on the future urban transformation of this urban district.
Adaptive structure
For the competition, the design team developped an adaptive structure based on three clear design principles.
The first principle, the Common Landscape, softens the boundary between water and land at the edges of the district by transforming the current surplus in the green structure into a recreational tidal landscape. By doing so, Antwerp should no longer market itself as Stad aan de Stroom (City at the Stream), but as Stad in de Delta (City in the Delta).
The second principle, the Common Amenities, reinforces existing amenities clusters by connecting recreational amenities to them. As far as mobility is concerned, Linkeroever is connected to the West side of Antwerp, the port or other villages upstream by means of a water taxi, water bus or ferry.
The last principle, the Common Space, transforms the wide lanes between the districts into meeting spaces between these districts. This by adding, in or along the lanes, local facilities which can be shared by the inhabitants in the districts, such as a shared mobility, gardens, kitchens, storages, tools etcetera.
For the competition David Dooghe worked together with Defacto, architecture and Urban Design.
Stadsbouwmeester, City of Antwerp, 2017, Antwerp