The Council of Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Antwerp has approved the final design for Pomppark Zuid (Pump Park South), the first sub-project of Ringpark Groene Vesten (Ring Park Green Ramparts). 

With this Pomppark Zuid, the City wants to create a new park for the neighbourhood, by transforming the existing green area into a residential area. Greenery, water, recreation, heritage and noise measures will play a central role. If everything goes smoothly, work will start in the spring of 2024.

With this design, the City of Antwerp is realizing the first project of the Ringpark Groene Vesten, in the southern part: Pomppark Zuid is located between the Antwerp-South Railway Station, the railway, Desguinlei (Singel) and Jan Van Rijswijcklaan.

This approved final design is the result of discussions during various workbenches, sessions, workshops and Ring Days. Just like the entire Ringpark Groene Vesten, Pomppark Zuid has also been designed with the possibility of a future roof in mind.

Gas station as the heart of the park

The existing pumping station that keeps the Ring free from rainwater and groundwater will be the heart of the park, hence the name. The area around it is also the quietest place in the park because it is located at the lowest point, almost 8 meters below the street level of the Singel and shielded by a noise barrier.

The pumping station is already attracting attention and will only do so in the future. Its facade can be used for graffiti or other street art. At its height there will be a seating hill, made up of several grass terraces and bordered by concrete steps, with a beautiful view of the jacks of the pumping station and the central square below.

Green and water

In the design of Pomppark Zuid, the existing greenery and valuable trees are preserved as much as possible and integrated into the park. New greenery is being planted in the form of grassland, shrubs and trees. There will be two large areas in grass in the park, as places to stay for the neighbourhood.

What is special is that all the rainwater is collected in the park itself and can also infiltrate on site. The pavement of the Singel will partly drain and infiltrate into the park. It is also being investigated whether it is feasible to purify and reuse the pumped-up groundwater from the pumping station.

To play

There will be a play zone in the Centre of the park, between the Kielsepoort and the pumping station. Here, the slope in the terrain is used as a game element. The play area will consist of a tube slide, a stilt course over a wadi, and climbing and sitting logs in the existing densely forested area of the park.

A water play device will be placed in the sandbox, with water from the rainwater cistern to which the roof of the pump building is connected. In dry periods it can still be used as sand play equipment.

Dog walking zone

A large dog walking zone of 3200 m² will be built in Pomppark Zuid. There will be 6 benches and 2 picnic tables. The play infrastructure of the existing dog walking zone will be moved to this new zone.

Heritage

Heritage plays an important role in the design of the park, especially the former Brialmont ramparts. Research has made it clear which remnants are still in the subsoil, and how they can find a place in the park. 

For example, the park is located on the site of two gatehouses of the former ramparts: the Kielsepoort and the Sint-Laureispoort. The exact location of those two gatehouses will be clearly visible in the park, they form entrances.

The shape of the gatehouses is indicated by walls in clay pavers. In the middle of each gatehouse there will be a straight path in sawn cobblestone, 3 meters wide, which represents the former passage under the gates. There will also be an engraving in blue stone showing the map of the entire Brialmont rampart.

Noise measures

Sound barriers will be installed between the railway and the park. Thanks to this soundproofing, visitors to the park will have a more pleasant stay, with less nuisance from the adjacent ring road and train tracks. The sound walls consist of gabions, walls that are filled with stones. The positive sound-absorbing effect of this has been investigated by Ghent University.

Connection with Antwerp-South

Pomppark Zuid connects in the west with a platform to the Antwerp-South, which will be renovated by then. Space is provided on the platform for shared mobility. Beneath it, an ecological connection is created towards Ringpark Zuid in the form of trellises along which animals can find their way. Tree stumps provide hiding places. Such eco-connections can be found in all Ringparks.

Design team and timing

Design team BUUR-Latz-Greisch-SWP, in collaboration with Antea and Levuur, drew up this final design for Pomppark Zuid.

If everything goes smoothly, the works will start in the spring of 2024. The opening of the new park is planned for the autumn of 2026.

Sub-project of Ringpark Groene Vesten

Alderman for Mobility Koen Kennis (N-VA): “We are taking the first step in the development of the Ringpark Groene Vesten, a park that connects the existing and new ‘Vestenparken‘. Ringpark Groene Vesten is about 450 football fields in size and runs along both sides from the Ring of Antwerp-South station to the junction with the E34/E313 on the border of Borgerhout with Deurne, making this zone along the Ring a green place to stay for the city and the nearby neighbourhoods. In the green zone, we are implementing soundproofing measures, which in the short term will provide a bonus for the quality of life in the neighbourhoods.”

The design for the Pomppark Zuid subproject follows the concept of the overarching landscape design for Ringpark Groene Vesten.

City is looking for design team for new Collection Centre Antwerp

The Council of Mayor and Aldermen also has approved the architectural assignment for the Collection Centre Antwerp. This new building, which will be located in the new Pomppark Zuid, will house the city’s extensive heritage collection. In addition to storage and management, the building must also make it possible to open up art treasures to the public, disseminate specific expertise and implement an active restoration policy. The city also aims high in terms of innovation and sustainability: the ambition is passive construction with a minimal ecological footprint. Architectural firms can submit their applications for the selection phase until mid-September.

The City of Antwerp manages numerous museums, heritage institutions and archaeological material, representing some 800,000 collection items. Only a limited part of this impressive heritage collection is on display. 

The vast majority are kept in various heritage depots, not visible to the public. The current method of storage faces some major challenges: some depots have constructional problems, the distributed storage works sub-optimally, there is a capacity problem, and the current method of management is becoming unaffordable.

After a feasibility study, the city has now opted for the realization of a brand new Antwerp Collection Centre in the future Pomppark Zuid. In this central building, the heritage collection will be managed in a safe, efficient and dynamic manner, under optimal and future-proof storage conditions. The collection will be available for consultation and, where possible, made publicly available. The city wants to pursue an active restoration policy and disseminate specific expertise more widely.

Alderman for Culture Nabilla Ait Daoud (N-VA): “With the plans for the Antwerp Collection Centre we are working on one large depot: the physical memory of the city. Our many museums and heritage institutions manage an impressive cultural heritage. It literally concerns hundreds of thousands of collection items, from the simplest utensil to the greatest art, from an antique corkscrew to the works of Rubens and Jordaens. All these objects together form Antwerp’s history. We have a responsibility to carefully preserve this rich cultural heritage and to pass it on to the next generations of Antwerp residents.”

Innovation and sustainability

The Collection Centre Antwerp wants to be an innovative and progressive heritage depot where the bar is high in all areas. For the building itself, the city therefore strives for a minimal ecological footprint and maximum sustainability as an integrated approach, combined with great flexibility to respond to changing needs. The focus will be on a passive building concept that can meet the required climatic conditions with a minimum of techniques and energy. In this way, the preservation of the heritage collection will also remain affordable in the future.

Location as social added value

By being located in the new Pomppark Zuid, the Antwerp Collection Centre will create social added value for users, park visitors and local residents. The building will be part of the landscape and experience of the park. The location of the new building has already been taken into account in the design of the park.

Annick De Ridder (N-VA), alderman for urban development and spatial planning and chairperson of AG Vespa: “The new Collection Centre Antwerp fits nicely into the new challenging urban development story that we are writing with the city, that of the Ringstad. We connect different city districts smartly and organically. by removing the barrier of the Ring. We are creating a new urban program with local public facilities and lots of greenery for the surrounding districts and neighbourhoods. So here we have the Pomppark and a new landmark full of art!”

The so-called Dienstgebouw D33 at Desguinlei 33 is currently still located on the spot where the new Antwerp Collection Centre will be built. It will be demolished. The building is in too bad a condition and no longer meets current standards, which means that a redevelopment is not desirable. In addition, the current position of the building cuts the future Pomppark Zuid into two parts, which counteracts the cohesion of the park. 

A reconstruction with exactly the same location and orientation in the park is therefore not desirable. For the current use of the building, it is one of the places where the city organizes night shelters for the homeless, a new location is still being sought.

Timing

This architectural assignment means that the design team will provide a concept design and associated cost estimate for the Collection Centre Antwerp. At a later stage, the preparation of the tender file and the execution of the works will be awarded.

The architecture assignment takes place in two phases: a selection phase and an award phase. During the selection phase, interested parties are invited to submit a request to participate. Based on the selection criteria, five candidates are then selected to participate in the award phase. The selected candidates receive the specifications and are invited to submit an offer on the basis thereof. Based on this, the city then chooses to whom it will award the contract.

The deadline to submit an application for the selection phase is Monday, September 18, 2023 at 11 AM. If everything goes smoothly, the selection decision will be made in November 2023 and the award decision in the spring of 2024.

On the look of Antwerp

• ANTWERP | Overhaul of Groenplaats and surrounding streets will start in 2025.
• ANTWERP | Opening of the middle part of Zuidpark.
• AREAS OF ANTWERP | St. James’ Church (Sint-Jacobskerk).
• AREAS OF ANTWERP | St. Paul’s Church (Sint-Pauluskerk).
• AREAS OF ANTWERP | Scheldekaaien or Scheldt Quays.
• AREAS OF ANTWERP | Zurenborg.
• AREAS OF ANTWERP | Cogels-Osylei between Berchem and Antwerp’s Zurenborg neighbourhood.
• AREAS OF ANTWERP | De Gerlachekaai at the Scheldt.
• AREAS OF ANTWERP | Sint-Andriesplein.
• ANTWERP | Instant divide over Daniel Libeskind’s transformation design for Boerentoren.
• Rainbow zebra crossing in Borgerhout.
• Rainbow zebra crossings of Antwerp.
• Rainbow zebra crossing in Berchem.
• Antwerp designs future of Scheldt Left Bank riverside.
• New facade lights for Antwerp-Central Railway Station.
• ANTWERP | New light plan for Het Steen to accentuate castle features.
• City of Antwerp promises more green areas in 2023.
• ANTWERP | Major revamp of the Meirbrug – Suikerrui – Scheldt Quays axis to complete the Via Sinjoor.
• ANTWERP | Looking for Linkeroever Railway Station.
• ANTWERP | Renovation of Scheldt Quays between Sint-Andries and ‘t Zuid.
• ANTWERP | Final design revealed for Scheldt Quays at Nieuw Zuid.
• ANTWERP | 2023-2024 Park Gedempte Zuiderdokken to have grass and water.
• A sneak peek into Antwerp’s renovated City Hall.
• Redesigning Antwerp’s central Scheldt Quays between Noorderterras and Zuiderterras.
• Borsbeek to become Antwerp’s 10th district.
• Antwerp’s Droogdokkensite redeveloped into maritime experience area.
• Antwerp’s renewed Scheldt Quays at Loodswezen to get World War II victims memorial.
• ANTWERP | Bonapartedok to become centre for water sports and recreation.
• PHOTOS | Het Steen, Antwerp’s new Visitor Centre.
• VIDEO | Walking the future Spoorpark between Zurenborg (Antwerp) and Borgerhout.
• 5 spots in Antwerp to soak up the sun for free..
• Antwerp to be car-free by 2024?.
• BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
• Antwerp landmark Boerentoren to become Art & Culture Tower by 2027.
• ANTWERP | Rubens House to close on 9 January 2023 and reopen in 2027.
• Antwerp’s City Theatre Stadsschouwburg to be demolished, new playhouse elsewhere.
• ANTWERP | Design concept for renewed Wapper approved.
• ANTWERP | Schuttershofstraat to become fully pedestrian shopping street.
• ANTWERP | Construction of Park Groot Schijn enters final phase.
• ANTWERP | Preliminary design for Masterplan Scheldt’s Linkeroever.
• ANTWERP | Loodswezensite gets temporary green area.
• Antwerp to install recreational pontoon at Bonapartedok.
• Antwerp to redevelop Sint-Anneke Beach.
• ANTWERP | Landmark protection of two historic Scheldt harbour cranes confirmed.
• ANTWERP | Procedure for cyclists and pedestrian Scheldt Bridge to be elaborated.
• ANTWERP | Preliminary draft of Strategic Spatial Plan approved.
• ANTWERP | Park Groot Schijn completely finished.
• ANTWERP | Start restoration of the walking terrace and hangars between Steen and Noorderterras.