Hasta La Ideas

British studio David Chipperfield Architects has revealed plans for a housing project in Antwerp that will adjoin a 60-tree fruit orchard.

Named Boomgaard, the residential project is set to be built in Antwerp’s Nieuw Zuid neighbourhood and will contain 54 apartments that sit beside landscapes designed by Bureau Bas Smets.

The housing project will be a seven-storey building. On the ground level, the building will house four commercial spaces, while its basement will contain storage rooms as well as bicycle and car parking.

Alongside the 54 apartments, Bureau Bas Smets will create a 60-tree fruit orchard that the studio explained is set to become the heart of the Nieuw Zuid neighbourhood.

Boomgaard will form part of the Nieuw Zuid housing development where Japanese studio Shigeru Ban Architects has also begun construction on a residential project.

It will sit alongside a number of buildings designed by leading architecture studios including Stefano Boeri Architetti’s Palazzo Verde and Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen’s Tim Van Laere Gallery all of which are being developed by Antwerp developer Triple Living.

“We don’t just want to put up a nice building, we want to create a pleasant piece of the city,” said David Chipperfield

“We are delighted that Triple Living contacted us to do our bit for Antwerp’s Nieuw Zuid neighbourhood,” he continued. “Thanks to Paola Viganò’s master plan, we can help stitch together a fresh and vibrant neighbourhood with pleasant public spaces. The orchard, which will be open to all, is an important aspect of this project.”

The building will be constructed using a combination of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and concrete in an effort to reduce the building’s CO2 emissions, while its apartments will be designed to meet strict energy and insulation standards.

Winter gardens are pictured wrapping around the exterior of the building and adjoin to each apartment to form covered terraces. The winter gardens provide homes with an additional layer between the interior and the elements resulting in better insulation.

“With Boomgaard, we want to contribute to the city’s look and life positively,” said Chipperfield. “Sustainability and the environment are crucial to us as an architectural firm. We always start from a holistic vision of sustainable design.”

“We also deliberately designed the building rather shallow, so that as much natural light as possible enters everywhere and maximum use can be made of ventilation.”

Founded by Chipperfield, David Chipperfield Architects was founded in London in 1985. He was recently awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize for his “understated but transformative” body of work that covers four decades.

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