A new building will be built in the new Pomppark Zuid to house the city’s extensive heritage collection. Municipal real estate agency AG Vespa organised an architectural competition for this, with design agency TM Office Winhov – HUB being selected as the winner. If everything goes according to plan, the works will start in the spring of 2028 and the building will be ready in 2031.

The City of Antwerp has an impressive heritage collection consisting of some 800,000 items: art, heritage pieces, archaeological finds, etc. 

Only a limited part of these can be exhibited. The pieces that are not currently on display are stored in various heritage depots, not visible to the public. In order to manage the entire Antwerp heritage collection in a safe, efficient and dynamic way in the future and to store it under optimal and future-proof conditions, AG Vespa will build a brand new collection centre in the future Pomppark Zuid on Desguinlei, the Collectie Centrum Antwerpen or Collection Centre Antwerp.

Monumental treasure chest

TM Office Winhov – HUB considers the building in its competition design as a monumental treasure chest, an iconic enclosed brick ensemble of various functional volumes.

The Collectie Centrum Antwerpen will be a welcoming building, open to the public; designed around an entrance square as a transition to the park.

• The design consists of three linked volumes and a freestanding café.
• The above-ground depots form the main volume.
• Next to the depot is a work building with a large window to the Desguinlei.
• The third volume is an entrance building.
• In the work building, all logistical work processes are organised on the ground floor, directly linked to the entrance to the depots. On the upper floors, the work spaces and workshops are brought together around a central void. The offices are located at the top of the entrance building.
• ​The visible depot, the workshops and offices will create a lively interaction with the park.
• A two-storey basement is provided under the entire building. The first floor is reserved for parking and for the installation spaces. The second underground layer is a large depot with a free height of 6 metres.
• Thanks to optimum climate control (with a minimum of techniques), the collection is stored in the best conditions.
• The most sustainable solution with the lowest environmental impact has always been chosen for all building parts. By alternating concrete (depot), concrete and wood (work building) and wood (entrance building), each building part has its own look and feel on the inside.

Location

By being located in the new Pomppark Zuid, the Collection Centre Antwerp will create added value for users, park visitors and local residents. The building will be part of the landscape and the experience of the park.

The location where the new Collection Centre Antwerp will be built currently still houses the so-called Dienstgebouw D33 at Desguinlei 33. This is in poor condition and will be demolished.

Timing

The design team is now working out the design further. The preliminary design is expected in the autumn of 2025. If everything goes according to plan, the works can start in the spring of 2028 and the new Collection Centre Antwerp will be put into use in the course of 2031.

Alderman for Culture Nabilla Ait Daoud (N-VA): “The City of Antwerp manages numerous museums, heritage institutions and archaeological material, good for some 800,000 collection items. This impressive heritage collection forms the physical memory of our city. They are, as it were, the puzzle pieces of our collective past, of our Antwerp pride and DNA. The city has the responsibility to carefully preserve this rich cultural heritage and to pass it on to the next generations of Antwerp residents. We do this in one central depot, the Collection Centre Antwerp.”

Alderman for Urban Development and chairwoman of AG Vespa Annick De Ridder (N-VA): “The new centre fits in nicely with the story of the Ringstad, possibly the most impressive project ever in terms of urban development, which is created by the maximum covering of the Ring. Ringstad will provide new and better access to the Ringparks, for extra green space, homes, offices and new public facilities. A good example of this is the future Collectie Centrum Antwerpen, which will be located in the Pomppark Zuid. Both reinforce each other. Ringstad links neighborhoods to parks, with in this case an intriguing touch of architecture and art!”

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