Waterfront and port development

Harbors are vital to our economy. They are international doorways to the world, but also to prosperity and wellbeing. They are first and foremost places of industry and logistics. However, in the past decade they have moved towards a more balanced blend of economic, social and environmental values. For us at Antea Group, this model of sustainable growth is aimed at all port developments. Whether a greenfield project or the regeneration of older areas, we always search for added-value in circularity (i.e. possible synergies between companies), renewable energy, etc. For instance, we recently studied the economic potential and spatial feasibility of a large-scale stateof-the-art recycling hub within the port of Antwerp.

The areas of early ports in city centers have urbanized rapidly as ports grew outside city limits.  The design of these waterfront developments brings about a very specific set of technical requirements. At Antea Group, we bridge the gap between technical engineering and design aspects. Our integrated team is capable of transforming design concepts into technical and process-oriented approaches. For instance, think about the impact of stability when constructing  high-rise buildings near a river. By linking design and engineering, we make sure that plans can be executed without compromising the original concept.

With the rising of sea levels, port and waterfront developments are becoming vulnerable. First and foremost, we try to work with nature in order to protect these areas. Our green-blue infrastructure plays a vital role in facing climate change. Our design team commands decades of experience regarding the realization of projects that regenerate and/or strengthen these urban and industrial landscapes in that way. Only when these natural solutions aren’t adequate, we look further into hard infrastructures (i.e. raising quay walls, constructing surge barriers, etc.) All the while incorporating economic feasibility in order to design plans that can be implemented.

We design for and with the end user. Inhabitants and other stakeholders are the real experts of their environment. Design cannot be undertaken without this local knowledge. Our project managers are very experienced in participatory design, stakeholder management and creating the necessary political and social support for new developments. This is essential for the end result to be realistic and meet the needs of its end users.

In the design process, we always search for added value in co-use from a recreational point of view, in boosting the ecological values of a system, etc.

After all, every project is an opportunity to create spatial and social added value and to strengthen the identity, quality and functionality of the broader project area. A creative and integrated approach is crucial in order to detect win-win situations. Together, we look for the best possible combination of sustainability, economic feasibility, water management, attractive landscaping, etc. Innovative and surprising, and at the same time realistic and technically feasible.