In a garden street, the aim is to maximise the greening and blueing of the street by replacing the existing paving with, among other things, planting beds, trees and vegetable gardens. Water will be given a central role, with efforts aimed at infiltration on site and reuse for the landscaped greenery.
These are residential streets where adults and children spend a lot of time on the street. Together with the traffic-reducing measures, this will increase the quality of experience for the neighbourhood.
Pilot projects
The City of Antwerp has set up a number of pilot projects in order to experiment with the project approach, the way in which the residents work together, the application of new techniques and the handling of maintenance after completion. The intention is to optimise the various aspects of the garden street and to create broad and lasting support among the residents, so that in the future the garden street can be applied more easily in the city.
Because this pilot project is a cocreative process with the residents, the designs were first tested with temporary installations. Residents were given a prototype of their garden street and could then continually provide feedback on the designs. Only then was the final climate-adaptive design drawn up to transform the Lange Ridderstraat, Bloemstraat, Jan Olieslagersstraat and Aziëlaan into permanent garden streets.
These are narrow streets with closed buildings up to the building line. Through traffic must remain possible and the existing cellars and parking balance must also be preserved.
Design solutions
VK contributed in maximally replacing the existing pavements by plant beds, trees and gardens with water in a pivotal role. Buffer foundations are used under the roads and infiltration piles. The rainwater is collected as much as possible for reuse on the public domain, via an above-ground buffer with smart control. Use is made of permeable materials, tree tunnels and wadis. Furthermore, there is no traditional sewerage system.
Garden streets Antwerp
BEAbout
The 'Garden Streets' pilot project embraces the greening of the Antwerp streets where adults and children spend a lot of time. A Garden Street is as green as possible and maximises water infiltration on site. The City of Antwerp is working towards a greener, cooler, and more liveable city.
Challenge
Increasing the ecological quality of Antwerp's residential environments, creating a greener streetscape, and promoting social interaction on the street.
Solution
The maximum replacement of the existing paving with planting beds, trees, and vegetable gardens with water is decisive in the redesign of the streets. The maximum amount of rainwater that can be absorbed above ground flows back into the public domain via an above-ground buffer with intelligent control.
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Client(s)
- City of Antwerp
- Aquafin
Architect(s)
- VK architects+engineers
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
Timeline
2020
2021
Expertise Team(s)
Roads, water & public space Engineering
Design Solution(en)
Sustainability Assessment
Because this pilot project is a cocreative process with the residents, the designs were first tested with temporary installations.
Jurgen De Bruyn
senior project engineer infrastructure, VK architects+engineers
