Location: Antwerp, Belgium

Client: Vervoordt r.e. 

Year: 2003-2008

Services: Urban Diagnostic and Strategic Advisory, Visioning and Master Planning  

Partners: Michel Desvigne, Beel Architects, &Bogdan, Coussée & Goris Architects

Areas of Impact: Economic Development and Local Value Creation, Healthy and Livable Environments

Overview

Kanaal is a unique mixed-use environment in Antwerp, built around the world-renowned Axel Vervoordt Arts and Antiques company. Situated between an industrial canal and the valley of the Schijn river, it is a place where creative minds come to live and work, drawn by the character of its industrial heritage and the quiet interplay of nature and contemporary architecture. The revitalisation of this former industrial site into an urban, green oasis is a compelling demonstration of sustainability, circularity, and placemaking in practice.

OSLUM developed a masterplan for this constrained two-hectare site, establishing a clear, contextually grounded framework to guide its transformation into an integrated hub for housing, creative economies, and cultural inspiration.

Context and Challenge

Originally developed as a distillery and malting complex and later used for storage and logistics, the site gradually lost its industrial function due to its proximity to a residential neighbourhood and difficult logistics access. Despite its heritage value and exceptional setting at a beautiful location, conventional developers stayed away as the site offered no straightforward return on investment. The original land use plan restricted the site to industrial and logistic use only, and building codes left unanswered the critical question of whether and how its industrial heritage needed to be preserved, leaving the site without a clear path forward for development. 

The site required a specific vision, an unconventional developer, and a lighthouse programme capable of driving the redevelopment.

Project Implementation Approach 

OSLUM identified the unique characteristics of the site and informed the development of a strategy for Axel Vervoordt Arts and Antiques that leveraged their distinctive vision of art, architecture, and urban living as the primary driver of transformation, enabling the sustainable growth of their operations and value chain on site. OSLUM also developed the masterplan, guided the preparation of a new zoning plan, and defined the architectural identity for the entire site. 

The masterplan tested multiple scenarios for massing, functions, connections, open spaces, and the reuse of existing buildings. Drawing on the same principles of circular reuse and contemporary reinterpretation of antiques, the masterplan valorised the site's unique industrial heritage while introducing contemporary solutions for living, working, and creative inspiration. A network of enclosed courtyards, alleys, and gardens was woven through the site to create a distinctive identity and microclimate.

Through intensive stakeholder engagement and vision workshops, a new zoning plan allowing greater density and mixed-use programming was adopted. The implementation process also included assisting the client in assembling a building team for the design of the new buildings and the restoration of existing industrial heritage. A shortlisting and interview process helped to identify well-established architects with relevant experience and a willingness to collaborate as an integrated team.

Impact 

The masterplan directly informed the municipality's decision to adopt a new zoning plan for the site and to designate Kanaal as a strategic location for urban transformation in the Municipal Development Plan of 2006.

• Floor area increased from 16,000m² to 44,000m², adding 28,000m² of new space

• Programme mix: 70% residential, 20% productive, 10% commercial

• 100 new housing units delivered