A New Edge for DeSingel
Framing the landscape
V. Danesin (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Jurjen Zeinstra – Mentor (TU Delft - Situated Architecture)
M.W. Klooster – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / A)
Amy Thomas – Mentor (TU Delft - Situated Architecture)
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Abstract
This year, the Interiors Buildings Cities graduation studio focused on relocating the VAi (Flemish Architecture Institute) archive from the city centre of Antwerp to the DeSingel campus, aiming to bring together its activities within a unified setting. Situated at the city’s edge, DeSingel was originally conceived by Léon Stynen as a cultural hub embedded in the landscape, with raised terraces, open courtyards, and carefully composed views. Over time, however, later additions, particularly Beel’s 2010 extension, fragmented the spatial clarity and weakened the building’s relationship to its surroundings.
This project seeks to restore that coherence. A new architectural wall is introduced along the southern façade, drawing on the historical logic of the Brialmont Ramparts. It acts as a threshold shielding the campus from the highway and forming a quiet, inward-facing courtyard. The archive is housed within this structure, making it a central and visible part of the design.
Circulation is reconnected and a series of gardens help rebuild the link between architecture and landscape. The terraces, once neglected and exposed, are reimagined as contemplative spaces with framed views.
Together, these interventions create a unified and welcoming campus where architecture, landscape, and the VAi’s mission come together to strengthen its presence and encourage greater public engagement.