The industrial area Albertkanaal is a business area that stretches from the center of Antwerp to Wijnegem. The area is the subject of a durable transition. With a team of specialists (POSAD, One Architecture, Arcadis and 3E) a concept study on the themes of energy and water is elaborated and will contribute to a sustainable future for the area. This study is approached in a holistic way: results are developed by developing business cases together with stakeholders, so that they are widely supported.

One Architecture has been responsible for the spatial design on the theme of water. Within this theme two business cases are elaborated:

The first case is investigating the possibilities of a greywater network, where water from a nearby sewage treatment plant will be reused within a (cluster of) companies for different processes, eg. cleaning of process equipment, process water, water treatment, steam generation, cooling and the sanitary. The study also examined whether rainwater that is collected from roofs can be reused within the company itself.

The second case examines possible measures for climate-adaptive space, to address problems such as risks of flooding and heat-stress which this area is dealing with. By zoning the area into smaller sections, it was possible to simulate possible rainwater-flooding risks, showing which areas and which of the stakeholders are at risk. A set of measures for climate-adaptation are proposed in the study. The business case focuses on one of the measures: a watersquare near the dock, which besides having water detaining capacity also serves as a recreational playground for the residential neighborhood.