Van Belle & Medina Architects and Vogt Landscape Architects were the winners of the Open Call for the Droogdokkenpark in Antwerp. The first phase of the park, the Belvédère, has already been opened. Bart Tritsmans took a walk through the area with Kurt Van Belle. In the transition zone between the banks of the Scheldt, the city and the port, Van Belle & Medina also designed the De Lijn tram depots, which were nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Awards 2022.

Our walk begins at the Van Belle & Medina office, a stone’s throw from the Antwerp Academy, where Kurt Van Belle trained as an architect. There, Paul Neefs introduced him to the architecture of Hans Scharoun and Mies van der Rohe, and Christian Kieckens was his mentor during the final years of his studies. Both teachers passed on their passion for books to him. For Van Belle, books are a source of knowledge, but also a shared frame of reference and a common vocabulary for discussing architecture with his colleagues. “In our projects, creating a design book plays an important role,” Van Belle explains. “It forces us to think about the story we want to tell. Sometimes the narrative guides the design.”