Tue, 28/06/2022
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Bart De Wever as head of operations for the drilling of the ground for the future campus of the AP Hogeschool Antwerpen - ©frederikbeyens

The new high-tech campus of Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp is the first project in a brand-new, green city neighbourhood.

28 June 2022 - Work officially started today on the development of the new Slachthuis neighbourhood in Antwerp. From today, one of the former slaughterhouses will be transformed into a sustainable, high-tech campus for AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The new campus is the first of many projects that will be turning the entire area into a bustling, green neighbourhood in the coming years. It is a mixed-use residential neighbourhood with space for leisure, creativity, innovation, local business and culture, and education.

The project was not inaugurated with the traditional laying of the first brick but rather by the BEO (Borehole Energy Storage) field boring. In doing this, the Mayor of Antwerp, Bart de Wever, kicked off the development of the new high-tech campus of Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp. The BEO field has to supply sustainable energy to the new campus of Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp. A closed, underground network of pipes has been laid through various boreholes that are more than 100 metres deep. These pipes use the ground to provide cooling in the summer and extract natural warmth from the ground in the winter to heat the campus.

Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp is working on the new campus with the project developers Immobel and Triple Living which will transform the entire neighbourhood over the coming years into a new, green city neighbourhood. “We want to make the neighbourhood a place where there is a high quality of life and where people like to spend time”, said Jeff Cavens, director of Triple Living. The neighbourhood will regain its former bustling atmosphere, but this time it will be much greener and liveable.”

Although this neighbourhood has an illustrious past, we are principally building with a view to the future”, added Adel Yahia, managing director of Immobel Belgium. “The new slaughterhouse neighbourhood will be a pioneering neighbourhood with scope for creativity and renewal. We are convinced that the hustle and bustle will attract a lot of creative trendsetters and innovative trades in the future. The arrival of the new high-tech campus of Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp is the first step in the right direction.” 
 

Hallenplein STEM campus for AP students

The expanding Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp is moving to the new neighbourhood, not too far away from its other campus at Spoor Noord. Work has already started on the new Hallenplein square to construct a nearly-zero energy campus for around 2,500 students. A new tower will be built, and the university of applied sciences will use the existing warehouses, covering an area of 22,000 m². This represents an investment of 77 million euros.

Pascale De Groote, Managing Director of Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp: “The new sustainable Hallenplein campus will mainly accommodate innovative high-tech solutions. The location is fully in keeping with the vision of our university of applied sciences: the urban development plans that are currently on the table will transform this area over the coming years into a lively neighbourhood. But this is not a first for us. We were also pioneers in the Spoor Noord neighbourhood 20 years ago. Our campus also played a role there in shaping the neighbourhood.”

 

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