Selected for second round competition Oberbillwerder Hamburg

KCAP + FELIXX have won the international competition for the redevelopment of the 130-kilometer coastline of Dapeng, a green peninsula in the bay between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. In September 2018, the typhoon Mangkhut damaged the infrastructure of the peninsula to various degrees. An international competition was launched to develop a plan to restore the coastline and raise protection standards against the more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events. KCAP+FELIXX developed the ‘Triple dike strategy’, a multifaceted dike system that allows for an integrated approach towards the climate adaptive reorganization of the shore.  Water safety strategies are connected to eco-development and nature restoration. This creates a resilient framework for social and economic growth. For 32 kilometers of coastline, KCAP + FELIXX is developing this concept into six strategic implementation projects. Realization starts this year, and is expected to be completed in 2021. TRIPLE DIKE The triple dike moves away from a generic protection wall along the coast, towards the creation of three development zones, carefully embedded in current conditions and responding to the specific future needs of every single area. The 1st ‘outer’ dike zone increases the resiliency through wave attenuation, erosion reduction and the enhancement of sedimentation. The 2nd ‘middle’ dike is an elevated embankment, to stop the storm surge and the water pushed up by the waves. It’s not a big wall but a multifunctional zone: an exciting hilly park, an elevated waterfront with urban promenades, a tidal park or even a public building. The 3rd ‘inner’ dike is a hybrid structure which manages the rainwater following the principle of a sponge city. All runoff from adjacent villages and mountains is buffered, delayed and temporarily stored in rain-parks, raingardens, wet forests, wetlands and green streets. A PRODUCTIVE RESILIENCE STRATEGY Dapeng is a mountainous peninsula with lush forests, intersected by riverbeds and creeks, ...

The team HawkinsBrown with KCAP, Grant Associates, BuroHappold Engineering and Sam Jacob Studio is one of the five finalist teams in the MK:U International Design Competition. Today, Milton Keynes Council (MKC), Cranfield University and MK:U International Design Competition organisers, Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC), posted online the five alternative masterplan visions for MK:U, a proposed new model university in the Oxford to Cambridge innovation arc. The proposed new university, which is due to open to its first undergraduates in 2023, will focus on digital economy skills and practical, business-oriented courses; it also plans to offer fast-track two-year degrees. MK:U, a partnership between MKC and Cranfield University, will use the new University Quarter and the wider city as a ‘living lab’ to test out new concepts and ideas, and inspire Milton Keynes’ students and citizens. Benefitting from the last major undeveloped site in the city centre, and mixing university facilities with public spaces, MK:U will also be a destination open 24/7, welcoming the wider community. Five finalist teams are vying to win the competition and their masterplans are now available to view on the competition website.  HawkinsBrown with KCAP, Grant Associates, BuroHappold Engineering and Sam Jacob Studio:  Milton Keynes originated as a place where knowledge, leisure, culture, technology and nature all come together, and this ambition continues to the present day. Milton Keynes University (MK:U) is a natural next step for the city as it becomes a place of national importance within the Oxford-MK-Cambridge corridor. The original Milton Keynes Masterplan was likened to a net thrown across the English countryside, a layer of woven connections that mediates with the landscape. We have taken this metaphor, the campus as a network of connections embedded within a landscape, to inform a masterplan designed around a series of gardens, courts and vistas. Our design brings people together in a series of flexible ...

KCAP and  local partner CAUPD have won the Longgang Riverfront Competition in Shenzhen, China. The joint proposal for the 80 ha riverfront area was awarded first prize unanimously by the judges. The award concluded a three stage international competition that started with four international teams.  The competition called for a comprehensive transformation strategy and framework design for the entire 46 km2 Longgang waterfront area. This former industrial area is undergoing a fast transformation towards an attractive and innovative area for working and living. The transformation strategy focusses on a strong green-blue network with the so-called river-anchors as new thematic centers on hub locations. In the last stage of the competition process the team zoomed in on one of those areas. The focus area is located on the confluence of two rivers and contains traces of the city’s historical settlements and an existing park. Characteristic for the area are the historic structures of the Hakka, a particular cultural community. This unique position confronted the design team with the challenge of dealing with the past in a meaningful and sensible way. Inspired by Bruce Katz’s principles of ‘new localism’, the concept provides for appealing urban place making. It is rooted in the confined culture and history of the Hakka heritage and at the same time, it defines a respectful transformation of urban villages and industrial areas while integrating the local communities. The design concept provides an innovative and adaptive approach towards the creation of futureproof cities. With the metaphor of the local Banyan tree, the urban concept positions a new central park with culture facilities and a design academy as a centrality at the riverfront. It fully integrates the landscape and the river, while extending its ‘roots’ from the park towards the surrounding Hakka heritage hotspots and the historic city center. The plan introduces a range of ...

KCAP is part of the consortium with real estate developer Stadswaarde, Koopmans Bouwgroep (TBI) and J.P. van Eesteren (TBI) and architects Architekten Cie. (Branimir Medic, lead architect), Geurst & Schulze and Karres & Brands that has won the selection for the high-rise development next to the Leidsche Rijn station. The consortium will develop three towers of 80, 100 and 140 metres high. Syntrus Achmea Real Estate & Finance is the anticipated investor for 886 homes. The project will include 1,128 residences in different sectors, approximately 60% social rent (279), medium-priced rent (278) and homes with care facilties (125). In addition, 204 private sector rent and approximately 242 owner-occupied homes will be built. High-rise is not a goal in itself, but it has to deliver a contribution to the dynamics of the city, the quality of life at ground level and contribute to an affordable, social, inclusive society, where people live close to their work with good transport within easy reach. Together with Karres & Brands, the landscape is in fact 'brought to the surface' in the form of a vertical village with a 'tiny forest' at ground level and urban agriculture on the upper floors. The history and specific living quality of the Leidsche Rijn district were the starting points in all aspects of the design. The project will include 3,500 bike parking spaces, a rooftop restaurant, a pool, a sports café, shared laundry facilities, shared guest rooms, flexible workplaces, a kitchen facility for groups, workshops for artists and various other meeting places. An ambitious mobility concept including 100 electric shared cars contributes to the transition of mobility in the future.  MARK is social MARK offers the municipality of Utrecht a fantastic place where healthy urban living is stimulated in all its facets. Space has been reserved for common use and facilitating ...

KCAP, in cooperation with the landscape architects Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl, traffic planners ARGUS Stadt und Verkehr, and energy and sustainability consultant ENERGY-GROUP.CH, was announced as the winner of the urban design competition for the new development at Hafner in Konstanz, located in the South of Germany at the Swiss border. The plan envisages a mix of 45 ha of residential and 15 ha of commercial areas, including 2.600 apartments for 8.000 inhabitants. They will be set as several quarters into the soft hills of north-western Konstanz, creating a truly green neighbourhood. Within a clear structure, naturally embedded into the landscape, a blend of uses and building typologies offers different residential qualities. After a process of two rounds, in which five competitors out of 20 were shortlisted, a large jury including a wide range of experts unanimously chose the masterplan of the team around KCAP. The mayor of Konstanz, Karl Langensteiner-Schönborn, lauds the proposal: ‘We chose the design with the greatest potential for innovation. The city district will have to be future-proof and adaptable to changes over the next years.’ Also the local inhabitants reacted very positively, not least because of their participation in the process. The development extends the city of Konstanz towards the north-west, setting different typologies in several urban quarters within the landscape. Most of these typologies are flexible enough to allow adaption to different uses in the future. The backbone of the neighbourhood is a connecting ‘green ring’, a wide public space containing protected natural areas, activities, communal gardens, sports facilities and outdoor areas of the public functioning as schools and kindergartens. The ring will work as meeting place, connecting the different parts of the neighbourhood to the existing neighbourhood of Wollmatingen. It is therefore a new type of public space that borrows both from the village and the ...

KCAP together with local partner China Urban Planning and Design Institute (CAUPD) is selected to proceed to the final stage of the competition for the design of the 46 km2 riverfront area in Shenzhen Longgang. The team’s joint proposal is shortlisted next to team Shenzhen University  Planning & Research Institute + CRTKL out of four international competitors. With the key question how to transform the invisible and long forgotten Longgang River into a showcase for innovation, culture, ecology and quality urban life in Shenzhen, our plan focused on creating a flexible transformation framework to deal with the complexity of the riverfront area. Based on this urban concept from the first stage, the final phase asks for a detailed urban design scheme for a site of 50 ha within the larger area.

KCAP, as part of the INHA University Industry-Academy Collaboration Team, is selected for the 464 ha Incheon Inner Harbor redevelopment in South Korea. The team is completed by NOW architects. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries tendered the commission through a competition. The team was selected among 4 national and international competitors. Incheon Inner Harbor calls for redevelopmentThe Incheon Inner Harbor has a long history as an important seaport, but has reduced its activities drastically due to recent changes in domestic and foreign shipping logistics and the establishment of the New Incheon Harbor. By launching the commission, the Ministry aims to initiate the redevelopment of the area. The assignment includes a masterplan for inner harbors 1 and 8 as well as the Urban Renewal New Deal project which prescribes the functional restructuring of the entire inner harbor area to secure public access and anticipate on the urban regeneration of the surrounding old downtown. Re:Open the HarborWith ‘Re:Open the Harbor’, the selected team envisions to re-open the abandoned Incheon Inner Harbor area and transform it into a ‘SMART Harbor City’. It is a place-based urban renewal strategy which will strengthen the identity of the area and aims to give direction to the sustainable development of Incheon Inner Harbor towards the future. 

KCAP has won the competition for the International Cruise Port City masterplan in Qingdao, China. The masterplan provides Qingdao with a high-density mixed-use environment for living, working and cruise tourism and creates a new gateway for the whole region: Qingdao Green Bay. The plan respects, transforms and integrates the heritage of the former port and opens the area towards the historic city. A strong public space framework is the driving force for the overall plan of the future Qingdao Cruise City. Green Bay The Green Bay concept is based on the realisation of the 5 km Green Bay Boulevard. This powerful spatial identity is the backbone of all developments and links the existing city in the south-east to the big bay in the north. It is generously planned with green and urban spaces, water and trees, parks and squares. Along the Boulevard, five central nodes around a park accommodate transport hubs with dense and high-rise developments. From here, a framework for a liveable city unfolds combining walkability and charm with density, efficiency and sustainability. Repair by developmentThe existing harsh infrastructure and lost ecosystems will be transformed into a complex of repaired ecosystems and people friendly resilient urban structures. The design is based on an integrated, layered strategy that maximizes connectivity and ensures a strong and productive relationship with the existing city. ProcessKCAP will further elaborate the winning urban competition scheme and continue to work on the first phase urban and architectural design.  

BPD and Van Wijnen develop a complex with around 300 apartments, commercial spaces and an underground car park at the Brede Hilledijk in Rotterdam’s district Katendrecht. The developers recently selected KCAP Architects&Planners for the design of this multifunctional building. ‘After careful consideration and in consultation with the municipality, we opted for KCAP. KCAP's vision at this location translates into a 'light' building with special attention for living, encounter, integration with green spaces and connecting with the public space. Especially in these kind of urban areas, attention for the people living in the building is essential. For example, we invest in pleasant living environments which offer possibilities for social interaction,’ says Martijn Bus, developer at Van Wijnen. Positive impulseOver the past eighteen years, Katendrecht has changed from a ‘harbour area' into an attractive area for living and working and is still in transition. In the coming years, the neighborhood Katendrecht Pols will develop into an attractive urban area with more than thousand residences and a new shopping area. With the current success of 'De Kaap' and the striving approach of ‘De Pols’, Katendrecht district will reach a higher level. Paul Becht, Development Manager at BPD: ‘The ambitions here are high. You can only achieve success through good cooperation with the municipality, partners and stakeholders in the area.’ High-quality living and working environment The project is located at the Brede Hilledijk in De Pols of Katendrecht, at the entrance to the district. The building makes a substantial contribution to the ambition to transform this location into a high quality living environment. Renske van der Stoep, Architect at KCAP: ‘We are very happy and proud that we have been selected for this great assignment in our city. We look forward to working with all parties involved in the development. Together we will add something beautiful ...

Team ‘Vision Oberbillwerder 2030’ has been chosen as one of four participants out of 12 in round 1 to proceed to the second phase of the dialogue based competition process to design a new city quarter for Hamburg. On a site of 120 ha, the teams are asked to develop a mixed-use urban vision with focus on integration of landscape. The process is being accompanied by various participation activities that involve the public. The competition is commissioned by IBA Hamburg and will run until the end of May 2018. Team ‘Vision Oberbillwerder 2030’ consists KCAP, Kunst+Herbert, gmp International GmbH, WES LandschaftsArchitektur and Arup Deutschland. More information can be found on the website of IBA Hamburg.  

KCAP, in collaboration with OSLO Architectes, has won the first prize in the architectural design competition for a residential tower in Strasbourg, France. This was announced by the mayor of Strasbourg, Mr. Roland Ries. The tower will be the first and most symbolic building of the new neighborhood ‘Strasbourg, Presqu’ile–citadelle’. With its 57 meters of height, the tower will become a landmark for the area located between the city center of Strasbourg and the river Rhine. It will be developed by SAS-3B. Symbolic landmarkWithin the new dense but low-rise neighborhood with building heights ranging from three to five levels, the tower will be the only high-rise building. Not only will it be overlooking the area and offer stunning views from the apartments. It will also become a new landmark for the city, manifesting a symbolic value for this location where Strasbourg and France are opening up towards Germany. Identity In its architectural expression and with its playful brick facade, the design relates to the local context of the new neighborhood, which is defined by the proximity to the water and the predominance of brick. To emphasise the verticality of the tower, the proportion of the openings is increasing in height and the facades present a colour gradient towards the top. With this façade design and the volume’s composition, the tower marks this prominent spot with its strong and slender appearance. Richness of typologiesStarting from the triangular shape of the plot, the concept is based on a geometrical and functional approach. It offers 73 apartments with a diverse mix of typologies accommodating for various styles of living and users’ needs. The overall height is divided in four parts, each offering a different typology: townhouses on the lower levels, apartments with terraces and panoramic apartments in the middle and duplexes on the top. Each typology ...

Rotterdam, 28 August 2017 - The Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has unveiled the masterplan for Jurong Lake District in Singapore, the city’s future second Central Business District. The masterplan is exhibited till mid-September and invites the public to share their views. KCAP Architects&Planners, leading a multi-disciplinary team consisting of SAA Architects, Arup, S333 and Lekker is responsible for many of the key ideas developed in the plan. After the appointment as consultant in early 2017, the team has elaborated the winning design true to concept. The competition design defined key qualities as such that they could be strengthened throughout the integrated design process and now find their full strength. A distinctive identity The ambition is to develop the area into a new mixed-use business area built around the future Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail terminus, which will further anchor Jurong Lake District as Singapore’s second Central Business District. Qualities of the plan are its high-density mixed-use programme which incorporates new waterways and a series of stacked horizontal landscape datum and connections that weave through the entire district to create a distinctive identity for Singapore and its vision as a ‘City in the Garden’. A powerful dialogue between high-density, urban sustainability and heritage The high-density urban typology maximizes vertical urban greenery within a vertical city next to the beautiful Jurong Lake Gardens and creates a streetscape network for active mobility, walkability and interactive public spaces. The integrated, sustainable urban systems maximize the streetscape by proposing to place all major transport and engineering below the city, creating layers of optimized infrastructure and a car-lite district. Existing heritage buildings, landscapes and ecosystems are respected and repurposed in a powerful dialogue with the new development. With its strategic location, open environment and live-work-play programming, the area will become a new gateway to Singapore and can also be the ...

KCAP Architects&Planners has won the international design competition to redevelop ‘Sewoon District #4’ area in Seoul, Korea into a sustainable mixed-use area combining urban manufacturing and respecting its cultural heritage. That was announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government today. Flexible, people-oriented design that starts from historic and cultural values KCAP‘s plan proposes an integrated approach for the 280.000 m2 of mixed uses including offices, retail, hotel, entertainment, education and medical facilities, preserving the historical structures and at the same time developing a people-oriented urban design to function as a driving force for stimulating craftsmanship in Seoul. The strength of the proposal is the subtle integration of the building mass in the surrounding context, the adequate modulation and connection that creates flexible unit combinations to respond to future demands and lasting place making generated through the preservation of historic traces and buildings. Especially, the proposal of the public anchor program in ground and underground floors to enhance and adapt urban industry is highly appreciated. Process A jury comprising six experts in the field of urban design and architecture from academia and industry selected KCAP out of eight national and foreign offices as the winning team. The president of the jury, Prof. On Young Tae mentioned  that KCAP’s proposal “presented the most suitable strategy for Sewoon District #4 based on excellent understanding of historic and urban conditions of the site.” KCAP will process the schematic design until December 2017. Construction is planned to start in 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2023. From 6th  till 17th of March, the design entries will be exhibited in the lobby of Seoul’s City hall.  

KCAP in team with Hines and MRP Development is among four selected parties to elaborate their plans for the ‘Healthy Urban Quarter’ in Utrecht’s station area: a new building based on green, sustainable, innovative and healthy as cornerstones. The municipality of Utrecht grants space at Jaarbeursboulevard for an attractive building for living, working, cultural and / or leisure. All parties strive for innovative, sustainable and healthy buildings, mostly with a BREEAM and / or a WELL certificate. The available location in Utrecht’s station area offers a construction volume of 50.000 to 70.000 m2. In the coming months, the four parties will transform their vision into a design and a plan, based on so-called dialogue meetings with the municipality. They will also include residents and stakeholders in the area. Around the summer, the municipality will select the winning party to realize its plan and design. Start construction is expected in 2019. The Healthy Urban Quarter will be completed two years later. Click here for the complete press release of the municipality of Utrecht on the project website of HUQ.

Today, the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has appointed KCAP Architects&Planners, leading a multi-disciplinary team consisting of SAA Architects, Arup, S333 and Lekker, as winning consultant for the development of a masterplan for Singapore’s Jurong Lake District. The team submitted the best conceptual masterplan for the site. Integration of heritage and nature The team developed a high-density mixed-use concept masterplan for the area around the future high-speed rail terminus in Singapore. The ambition is to develop the area into a new mixed-use business precinct and home to the future HSR terminus, which will further anchor Jurong Lake District as ‘a district of the future’ and as Singapore’s second Central Business District. A key focus of the winning conceptual plan submitted by KCAP and team involved the integration of new waterways and a series of green spaces within Jurong Lake District whilst manifesting a strong, distinctive identity. Process An evaluation panel comprising senior representatives and practitioners from government agencies, academia and industry selected KCAP and team out of five international shortlisted teams as the winning consultant. Following this, the team will work with URA and relevant agencies to draw up a detailed masterplan proposal for the district. There will be an exhibition of the proposal in mid-2017 to gather public feedback where after the team will work with URA to refine the plans. Jurong Lake District Jurong Lake District is a regional centre in west Singapore, planned as part of URA’s decentralisation efforts to create new commercial activities, amenities and recreational facilities outside the Central Area of Singapore. The new mixed-use precinct, Lakeside Gateway, is set within the Jurong Lake District and will function as a new international gateway into Singapore with the future High Speed Rail to Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia. 

The Student Hotel group will open its first hotel in the university town Delft. The Student Hotel Delft will be realised on a central spot at Delft Central Station and the future Van Leeuwenhoekkwartier. On this location, The Student Hotel offers a vivid meeting place for tourists, business travelers, students, young professionals and foodies. Meeting each other is the central theme regardless whether you visit the hotel to work, study, stay, sport or eat. The hotel, known for its distinct design, will accommodate approximately 342 rooms and combines high-level hotel facilities with qualitative short- and long-stay facilities like a gym, bar-restaurant, library, gaming and lounge spaces, classrooms, meeting rooms and spaces for co-working. The most striking element of the hotel is the transparent façade facing the station and the future park. Part of the hotel is an underground parking garage and a bike storage. Start construction is planned for 2018. The complex comprises of approximately 14.000 m2 and will be realized in the summer of 2019. The Student Hotel is part of the  development Nieuw Delft: the new district being developed centrally in the city. Click here for the complete press release by The Student Hotel (in Dutch).

KCAP Architects&Planners, in collaboration with Vienna offices Baumschlager Hutter Partners and YEWO LANDSCAPES, has won the international urban design competition for the future development of the former shipyard area ‘Werftareal Korneuburg’, north-west of Vienna. The winning team was awarded with the first prize above three other interdisciplinary competitors. Various public information events have accompanied the competition phase. The next step will be the elaboration of the winning scheme to form the basis for the zoning plan. The 18 ha former shipyard area will be transformed into a vivid quarter for living, working, culture and leisure. The leading theme of the urban concept of team KCAP is the sensible transformation of the area as well as the integration of the existing structures and atmospheres into the new quarter. Its location along the Danube river, the large harbour basin and the surrounding meadow landscape are the urban backbone of the area’s quality and identity. Similarly, the existing recreational, leisure and cultural facilities and the industrial buildings and structures which have witnessed the history of the site are an integral part of the proposal. The urban concept for the new quarter provides for a mix of urban living and working areas which are clustered in densified islands and surrounded by nature and water. The harbour basin in its center forms the new generous urban heart of the ‘Neue Werftquartier’. The islands offer a rich mix of typologies and programs, embedded in the green surroundings. They form different character zones of built and natural open spaces and allow clusters of housing, education, innovation, creative and cultural facilities to co-exist. In this way, they guarantee the evolving of a colourful, urban, mixed-use city quarter with a diverse range of housing and working environments for people of different ages and lifestyles.  By reinforcing the existing infrastructures and creating new ...

KCAP, in cooperation with Zhubo Design Group, has designed the selected urban scheme for the transformation of a former industrial zone in Shenzhen's Bagualing area. KCAP’s concept accommodates the ambition to establish a new sustainable urban regeneration epicenter and to reach a new level of economy in Shenzhen. The innovative city translated as ICITI (Intelligence-Cloud-Innovation-Technology-Internet Finance),  is the programmatic and spatial framework for the regeneration. It  gains shape in the various urban clusters and is visible in its skyline. On a city scale, the spatial structure connects the area with the existing urban fabric, its public spaces and the green surrounding. An Y-shape park as defining feature of the urban concept crosses the area to connect and create synergy for the new businesses as well as to stimulate the creation of new social communities in Bagualing. Bagualing area has enjoyed a period of prosperity during 1980's being born as large-scale industrial park for electronics factories. However, since the mid 1990's, it has been degenerated and reformed by a fragmented variety of programs such as car repair shops, printing/publication companies, building material shops and a food street.

KCAP is one of 8 selected international teams to compete in the urban redevelopment competition for Seun District #4 in Seoul.  The objective of the competition is to seek for urban, architectural, technical and operational solutions for new buildings in the Seun District #4 in the city of Seoul. The 32.000 m2 site is located in the heart of the historical area of Seoul, facing one of the most important Korean traditional buildings, Jongmyo. The brief asks to revitalize the deteriorated block with respect to the historical and cultural position of the district within the city. The program covers around 275.000 m2 for a mixed functions including offices, retail, housing, entertainment, education and medical facilities. 

Havenlaan is part of the canal zone development (Kanaalzone) of Brussels and located close to the historic city centre. In the coming years, the area will be developed with a number of innovative projects and installed as an inner-city green zone by among others the realisation of recreational Becopark. The goal of the development is to create a new linear centrality in Brussels. Havelaan 12-14 occupies a prominent location in the area and will offer space for a new urban ensemble with a mixed program of housing, offices, hotel and commercial functions. The design concept of KCAP in cooperation with evr-Architekten refers to the existing urban qualities of the site and reinforces them for as many user groups as possible: residents, neighbors, passers-by and the city. With special focus on human scale, community and the identity of the location an inspiring environment with high quality for living, working and stay evolves. The special location of the site being situated between the Maritime Quarter and canal requires a diversified building volume and appearance, providing answers to the different contextual conditions. The concept reacts with creating one building block which consists of a composition of various elements: tower, beam, angle and row. In this way, the composition can include the different levels of scale and provide for different neighborhoods that the residents can identify with. In the center of the ensemble, the green "heart" connects the various buildings with each other. It is a coherent green, sunny, collective inner area, ensuring high quality of life for all residents and supporting the central idea of place making and social cohesion. The permeability of the urban block allows to open the Maritime Quarter up to the canal. Carefully carved openings at connection points with the surrounding both along the waterfront and at Bouvier Street, create special urban ...

KCAP, together with McValnera Santander and a multidisciplinary team of experts, has been selected as one of the five participants in the competition for the transformation of the waterfront area of Santander, Spain. The project is part of a larger ambition of Santander to upgrade the city and to integrate the old harbor and the city center.

KCAP Architects&Planners in cooperation with Kunst + Herbert win the competition Fischbeker Reethen in Hamburg's district Harburg. The team was awarded first place in a two stage competition process with six international participants. The site is being developed by the IBA Hamburg (International Building Exhibition) into a residential and business location with the aim of transforming it into a ‘Garden City of the 21st Century’. Within this reinterpretation of the Garden City, the 70 hectare area at the edge of the metropolitan city of Hamburg will accommodate a total of 2.200 apartments, 100.000 m2 for small production industries and almost 200.000 m2 highly diverse landscape spaces. The concept of the team KCAP / Kunst + Herbert reveals a new way of mixing functions for living and working in the Garden City 2.0. It is based on a robust spatial structure that responds to the existing landscape qualities and guarantees spatial quality in unforeseen circumstance. Programmatically, the combination of small production industry with housing is conceived as an opportunity to realise this city extension in a new and sustainable way. The choice for compact building structures with innovative typologies for open spaces and community building enables the creation of high quality architecture and landscape spaces. Housing is located in the centre of the area. The existing landscape structure will be drawn towards the middle of the site in the form of fingers. In this way, the connection with the landscape is also present in the heart of the Fischbeker Reethen. The landscaped lines create different types of green spaces and allow for a variety of housing typologies. A small centre with a school and a new artificial lake are linked with the surroundings through a boulevard, which acts as the main access route. The lake is part of the ‘green-blue’ connection, a network ...

KCAP is one of five shortlisted teams to develop the Jurong Lake District masterplan in Singapore. Jurong Lake District is Singapore's second Central Business District. The area is set to become a "district of the future" with a new business precinct, Lakeside Gateway, home to the future Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail (HSR) terminus. KCAP teams up with SAA Architects from Singapore, Arup and S333 from the UK and Lekker, Singapore.

Design agencies KCAP Architects&Planners, Arcadis and OKRA are selected by the city of Mechelen [BE] to draw up the masterplan of the Ragheno site. This centrally located business park will be transformed into a new, sustainable city district for living, working and recreation. The 78 hectare area is designated as a strategic project within the Spatial Structure Plan Flanders. Located near the railway station and city centre Ragheno is an important link between several urban renewal projects in Mechelen and existing neighbourhoods. The team, led by KCAP, was selected from seven other parties. In recent years, Mechelen has become a popular environment to live, work and relax. To support this growth, the city is developing a new neighbourhood on the Ragheno site. The area is located east of the city centre, a fifteen minute bike ride from the St. Rumbold’s cathedral and in immediate vicinity of the railway station. On the property, the central workplaces of the Belgian railway company will be retained, as well as a mix of business, sports and living. The KCAP, Arcadis and OKRA team will be working on a masterplan for the further development of the area. The plan aims to achieve higher residential densities, a concentration of offices at public transport hubs, a design of collective public spaces including a park and aims to strengthen social and programmatic mixing. In addition, the city of Mechelen aspires to be a climate-neutral, sustainable neighbourhood and will use the ‘BREEAM Area Development’ certification process. The project includes urban research, several studies in the field of mobility, structure and design of the public space, the integration of Smart City measures and soil, water and energy studies. Furthermore, the masterplan seeks to create a balance between the needs of the city, as well as those of the land owners and current users and ...

KCAP has won the 3rd prize in the Shenzhen Bao'an G107 competition. KCAP, in cooperation with Lay-Out from Shenzhen, developed a strategic framework for the self-evolving incremental regeneration of new urban commons in Shenzhen's economic corridor. G 107 is a national Chinese highway which will be transformed into UBG 107 - Urban Breeding Ground 107 - a varied and urban concourse, a comprehensive assemblage of tunnels, boulevards and various green and water spaces with dedicated diversity in its transport organization, appearance and urban integration. Combined with a new public transport network it provokes the development of rich and complex urban networks of the entire zone. Where the existing highway is a ‘vector line’, UBG 107 becomes a ‘pixel’, a smart and intelligent breeding ground for urbanity. Where the existing highway is a ‘lifeless line’, UBG 107 is a lively line staging a rich variety of places, centres, connections and networks. It allows the city, communities and landscape to coexist and overlap, to breath and be present in the future. The present distinctive strengths will be the starting points for its future. Building on its special assets, attributes and advantages the concept combines those with a strategy of ‘platforms’ and ‘ecosystems’. Platforms are public urban environments which offer new possibilities for collaboration and exchange, creating new starting points for a future economy, e.g. in information technology, biotech, digital media or robotic production. Transforming the existing industrial pieces on the site into larger industrial ecosystems of linked (innovative) activities will make the integration of new starting points more effective and also result in more economic resilience in the various clusters. Rethinking G 107 implied progressing the function, the shape and structure of its ‘economy’, to unveil its distinctive strength and to find new starting points for its future economy and existing industries ...

The team of developer ABC Planontwikkeling, Westplan Investors and KCAP Architect&Planners wins the competition ‘Punt de Sniep’ area in Diemen, a city in the agglomeration of Amsterdam. The concept has been awarded first prize out of five entries total in the last round. The project will comprise of 165 apartments, a marina and commercial and gastronomy functions in three building ensembles with a total of 16.000 m2. The team is being advised for project management, sustainability, installations and constructions by ABC Nova, MoBius Consult, J. van Toorenburg BV and van Rossum. The area Punt de Sniep has a prominent location in the center of Diemen: along the connecting road to Amsterdam and surrounded by two canals to which all buildings have a direct connection. Between the buildings, three different public spaces are created. All of them are programmatically and visually connected to the apartments to support the sense of community building, one of the key ambitions in the development of this new neighborhood. The first of the three outdoor spaces is the courtyard SNIEPHOF. It is a semi-public court with excellent quality of stay, enough privacy and at the same time space for shared activities. The marina SNIEPHAVEN is the place for maritime recreation and a harbor for small and private boats. It has a direct connection via the canal to the center of Amsterdam in the West and a nature area in the East. The tip of the peninsula, PUNTSNIEP, is located close to the historic center of Diemen and is connected with it via a new pedestrian bridge. It will become the new landmark of the development. With a prominent square oriented towards the South and West and a 24/7 programming with gastronomy functions, it will be the catalyst for social cohesion in the neighbourhood. The housing concept offers flexibly designed ...

The design of KCAP and the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp), in cooperation with landscape architects Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl, was awarded first prize in the competition for Zhangjiang Science and Technology City in Shanghai. The international team was able to prevail against two other competitors. For gmp and KCAP, this is the second successful cooperative effort, having already jointly developed the urban masterplan for Hamburg’s OlympiaCity. Zhangjiang Science and Technology City is located in Pudong, Shanghai’s prosperous district to the east of the city, strategically placed between the city center and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The extension and urban development of this area forms part of the overarching national strategy aimed at sustainably strengthening research and development, rather than purely industrial production. In this context it is intended to create China’s largest and most important science city on a site of about 84 square kilometers – a pilot project serving as a national example. The size of the project area exceeds that of Manhattan or of Lingang New City to the south-east, which is currently under construction. The significant location factor of prosperous high-tech developments – such as at Silicon Valley, New York or elsewhere – is the formation of clusters, where interdisciplinary exchange and local networking can take place. The importance of physical proximity in explicitly urban environments that fosters direct encounters remains significant, even in times of a globally networked economy – ideas sometimes cross corridors and roads more easily than continents and oceans. For this reason, the designers adopted the strategy of creating a “living university” – a constellation of clusters around the existing and future high-tech institutions (industries, universities and technology clusters) in combination with attractive housing and cultural, sports, and educational facilities. At a physical level, this is continued with the definition of clearly contoured roads ...

KCAP has been selected as 1 of 6 international teams for the Shenzhen Bao'an G107 competition. The designated area strechtes 30 km along national highway G107 and is one of the most important axes in Shenzhen city. As the golden corridor it connects Guqngdong and Hong Kong and the heartland for development of Great Pearl River Delta. The task is to take G107 and Bao'an Avenue and Metroline 1 as the skeleton. The Golden Development Belt will be constructed into a highland to lead regional industrial transformation and upgrading, a scientific and technological innovation service zone on Pearl River Delta, as well as an important economic growth engine for Bao'an District. KCAP teams up with Lay-Out from Shenzhen with whom we successfully cooperated on the Shenzhen Bao'an Coastal City Masterplan in 2014. The 6 participants are: KCAP + Lay-Out Planning Institute Shenzhen Planning Institute + OMA + Shenzhen Transportation Institute Zhubo + ISA Germany + HongDa Transportation Institute Shenzhen Planning and Development Research Center+ NIKKEN SEKKEI China Planning Institute + MLA+ +Shenzhen Infrastructure Planning Institute Guangzhou Planning Institute + AP Germany + Shanghai QianTian Industry Research Center

KCAP in cooperation with About Blank is selected for the 'Valley of Life International Competition' in Beylikdüzü district in Istanbul. In this second round of the tender proceedure 5 international teams out of 46 were chosen to find innovative and sustainable ideas for the development of the valley in Beylikdüzü. The teams are asked to develop visionary concepts that focus on the whole valley and on the focal points determined. These concept descriptions should include an operational idea for the area and a description of the ecological corridor with transportation connections, bicycle routes, services, functionalities etc.  

Tomorrow opens the exhibition with all 5 competition entries for the VRT broadcast centre in Brussels, including the design of team OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen - KCAP. The exhibition will run through February 29th. Location: Atelier Bouwmeester Brussel.

View via the link below the documentary about our team OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen - KCAP and our design for the VRT broadcast centre in Brussels. Our team was one of the finalists in the internationals design competition. Click here to view the documentary on Canvas.    

The Flemish Radio and Television (VRT) has announced the winner of the design competition for the new broadcast centre in Brussels. KCAP in collaboration with OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen was one of five finalists in this international competition. OFFICE and KCAP jointly elaborated a proposal which focusses on proximity and visibility: Atelier VRT. The design for a new media building for the Flemish public broadcaster VRT is a cultural assignment. It is meant to be a public institute with an inviting architecture and a place for the public to interact with media production. The design concept provides simultaneously for an open and specific building able to accommodate the rapidly evolving media industry. Atelier VRT represents the urban ambition of the Brussels Media Park. It is composed of four elementary volumes that are stacked on top of each other. Each volume represents a particular type of building, designed in response to a specific part of the program. The different building types are securely stacked on each other to achieve maximum synergy and to create a highly performant ‘super-studio’. The tower acts as the landmark of Atelier VRT. It provides overview and establishes a reference point in the urban context. It houses the more quiet workplaces away from the bustling atelier, which is a large workspace that in its spaciousness creates a maximum of shortcuts and proximity for the workplaces. The compact volume of Atelier VRT reveals high efficiency. The facade matches passive house standard, the energy demand is minimal and is covered by renewable energy sources. "The concept targets at a distinct, clear presence and simultaneously at interaction and creativity typical for what is called 'Atelier VRT’. The building is impressive and semi-monumental, the design language focuses on the city and the public. The design translates the program without hesitations or complications, direct ...

KCAP+ORANGE win the first prize in the urban and architectural competition for the most western tip of Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg. With its important role in the historical outreach of St. Petersburg towards the West, Vasiliesvky Island will become the most prominent manifestation of the city of St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland. With the urban plan, the 15 ha site will become a new part of the city with a diverse mix of urban functions facilitating and interconnecting the surrounding areas. It will become a new face of St. Petersburg as entrance of the city from the water. The design concept of KCAP+ORANGE focuses on enhancing the iconic value of the city of St. Petersburg and on creating an attractive and high-quality environment for living, working and recreation. The peninsula will be enlarged with a park to enjoy the waterfront at the Finnish Bay. Solid blocks and a diversity of enclosed urban courtyards define the urban layout and refer to the historical structure of St. Petersburg. Towers form the layer above the urban blocks. They allow for spectacular panorama views to the sea and the city center. Topped with gold-coloured spires, in the tradition of St. Petersburg’s architecture, a unique landmark silhouette of Vasilievsky Island evolves and creates an expressive, recognizable and iconic image. The international design competition was organized by Glorax Development and the municipality of St. Petersburg. It  started with 12 competitors in the first phase and continued with six in the second round, of which three national and three international teams. Next to KCAP in cooperation with ORANGE also A-Len from St. Petersburg was awarded with the first prize. Both teams will be involved in the further elaboration of the project.  

Dutch area and real estate developer AM has acquired the property of United Technologies Corporation (UTC) at Cruquiusweg in Amsterdam and will transform the current location of Chubb Fire & Security (part of UTC) in the eastern port into a lively residential and commercial area.Cruquiusweg is a strategic location that will undergo a complete metamorphosis. As the most southern peninsula of the eastern harbour area it has the potential to transform the outdated industrial location into an attractive area to live and work. For the acquired location of 1.3 hectares a plan vision has been developed by AM in collaboration with KCAP Architects&Planners and a.s.r. vastgoed vermogensbeheer. Based on the business model ‘I AM YOU', which is based on key values like conceptual strength, innovation and co-creation, the plans for the coming period will be evaluated further in cooperation with the local residents, the municipality of Amsterdam and other stakeholders. The proposed program consists of owner-occupied and rental housing combined with spaces for working and commercial functions. Click here to read the entire press release by AM (in Dutch).

KCAP in team with Atelier Dreiseitl and office03 presented its final design for the Parkstadt Süd development in Cologne. The area comprises of a 115 ha site in the South of Cologne that will be transformed into a new, contemporary city quarter with a mixed urban program in a period of 25 years. Five international teams were invited for a dialogue-based process with various presentations and events open for public participation. The five  design proposals, now finished, will be used by the municipality of Cologne as a base to define the legal documents for the development of the site.

The Elbbrücken quarter is located on eastern end of HafenCity, the tip of Baakenhafen where next to the Elbe bridges the S-and U-Bahn station is located. This situation implies that Elbbrücken quarter is to become another urban center within the HafenCity that, besides being a gateway into Hamburg’s inner city, will be characterized by high density and mixed-use program. Seven internationally renown offices competed in the competition. The first prize was won by Hosoya Schaefer Architects, Zürich (Switzerland), the second by pfp architekten bda from Hamburg and the third by KCAP. The teams DARK Arkitekter from Oslo and Delugan Meissl Associated Architects from Vienna received a honourable mention.  

A new city quarter with more than 300 apartments, public and local commercial functions, public spaces and a new neighborhood park will develop along Fabiolalaan in Ghent, located close to the station Ghent-Sint-Pieter. For the realisation of this development, Ghent’s municipal city development company ‘sogent’ assigned three candidate teams, all consisting of developers with their design teams and consultants, to create  project proposals. The project RINKKAAI by developers’ group Alides / Nacarat / Cores Development has been chosen as winning scheme. This was announced on September 25th by sogent. The design team for architecture and public space of RINKKAAI is led by KCAP Architects&Planners (Rotterdam, NL), evr-Architecten (Ghent, BE) and Omgeving (Antwerp, BE). They are assisted by a group of partners and advisors with among others Establis, VK engineering, Saison Menu, Fris in het Landschap and Common Ground. RINKKAAI will become a new city district for a variety of users, an intergenerational neighborhood with a mix of housing typologies and facilities for young families with children, couples, co-housers and seniors with or without need for care. The design aims to create a new community that is connected with each other and to its surroundings. The site’s location along Fabiolalaan and in the east of the park Blaarmeersen offers a quiet green surrounding and establishes connections between the city and the park, between living and leisure and between the existing and the new neighborhood. The architectural concept provides a compact ensemble of six pavilions, each with their own identity but with a clear common DNA. Shape, position, height and material of the buildings correspond directly with the surroundings. The position and the staggering of the buildings create attractive green intermediate zones and allow for varied views from each apartment. The project will meet the ‘passive building’ and BEN (Bijna Energie Neutraal/almost energy neutral) standards through an innovative ...

KCAP’s urban design for the transformation of the former industrial site Sulzerareal has been chosen as favourite design from 4 competing design teams. The 17 ha site with its direct access to the river Aare offers an attractive location for investor Swiss Prime Site and great development potential with ‘trans-regional radiance’. The Riverside neighbourhood will contain a generous public river park, about 650 apartments, some commercial functions and innovative mixed-use areas with new types of combinations of industrial and residential functions. As an innovative feature, BIM is being used to accompany the process from the large scale to the later realization phases. Click here for the project website.

KCAP has been selected as finalist in the second stage of the competition JinShan Waterfront in Shanghai. The competition is for a 580ha new town development along the 23 km2 sea coast in the south of Shanghai facing Hangzhou Bay. The first stage was an open competition, in which from 120 entries 5 teams have been selected: GALA GROUP ARTE CHARPENTIER AMA & RICHEZ ASSOCIATES RMJM ARCHITECTS&PLANNERS KCAP ARCHITECTS&PLANNERS The kick-off meeting and contract signing ceremony was held on May 28th in Jinshan District Government.

KCAP is selected as one of 6 finalists out of 246 entries from 20 countries for the 'Progetto Flaminio' competition in Rome. The Competition aims at the regeneration and development of a significant part of the city, the neighbourhood surrounding the City of Science, already characterized by an intense process of transformation. The program accommodates a residential district of 35.000 m2, 10.000 m2 retail and leisure facilities and 14.000 m2public spaces together with City of Science. KCAP teamed up with SPSK+ (local architect), Latz+Partner (landscape), Keoto (sustainability), Fakton (Cost) and Mlab (mobility).   The design phase for the finalists will run from April until June 2015. Click here for the project website.  

German investor Deutsche Wohnwerte, ​​in cooperation with the planning team consisting of KCAP Architects&Planners, B&V Braun Canton Volleth Architekten and TOPOTEK 1 Landscape Architects has won the investors’ competition for a new residential area in Frankfurt Riedberg. The team was chosen out of 19 teams in the competition, as was announced by the city of Frankfurt am Main and conducted by the HA Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft. The 4.3 hectare site is located between the University of Frankfurt and two parks. The car-free planned neighborhood with 322 apartments benefits from magnificent views and generous space. Within the development strategy for the city district of Riedberg, it is the last major development to complete the "University" quarter. The winning urban concept creates both compactness and diversity, while responding to the topography of the site and highlighting the relation to green space as a central concept. Eight differently sized blocks are positioned in a village-like setting around squares, playgrounds, meadows or meeting places. The inner courtyards and the outdoor spaces around the buildings vary in both size and level of privacy. On three locations public open spaces offer meeting areas in the neighbourhood. The central square is strategically positioned to offer views looking over the skyline of Frankfurt. A fine network of paths following the principle of the "open city" connects the quarter to its surroundings. Structured silhouettes and large roof incisions provide for a variety of apartments benefits from the excellent location and views. Coherence is created by the overarching special function of the ground floor area within the concept. Different floor plan typologies strengthen the identity of the adjoining public space and also stimulate interactions between the ground floor and its surroundings. All ground floor apartments are accessed directly from the public space. Equipped with front yards, verandas, direct exposure to the park, or to the ...

KCAP Architects&Planners in cooperation with evr-Architecten win the architects’ selection ‘Tower Striga 1’ in Antwerp, Belgium. The selection commission including the client Triple Living and representatives of the municipal urban planning departments chose the team for the design of one of three residential towers for the project Antwerp Nieuw Zuid. This new residential area will develop along the Schelde in the south of Antwerp, based on a masterplan by Studio Associates Secchi-Viganò. The winning scheme is a diverse residential tower with integrated offices and commercial functions. With its exceptional location at the park, it rises with its 80 meters of height as a new icon of Antwerp Nieuw Zuid. The 15.000 m2 building consists of a four-storey base and a 26-level tower, both forming one ensemble. The concept is characterized by a wide variety of housing typologies for different target groups: young families, seniors, co-housers, singles and working couples. Given the particular location of the tower facing the park a large number of residential units are located at ground level. The facade provides space for individual use and setbacks in the grid are used as collective green gardens for the residents. The plinth houses a double height passage, lobbies for the offices and residences and a ground-based active residential program. ‘The concept interprets the qualities of the typical Belgian house. The apartments are compact, efficiently organized and surrounded by a flexible structure, which is designed as a double height grid. The buyer has the opportunity to choose from a range of individualised features such as balconies, conservatories, small storages or green elements,’ says Han van den Born, partner of KCAP. ‘The constructive structure of the tower with a central core offers maximum flexibility for the distribution of the various typologies, the number of units per floor and allows for future adjustments. With the wide ...

KCAP Architects&Planners, in a team of international experts, was chosen from 4 international entries as the winning proposal in the architectural competition for a new RER E – Eole - station in Nanterre, France. The Réseau Express Régional is a fast regional train network of the Paris Agglomeration. The new station will be part of the Line E connecting Paris with the West of the region. The program includes the design of a train station, a 14.000 m² office building and four bridges, one of which a pedestrian bridge. The completion of the station is estimated in 2020.  The new station is planned on a rail area adjacent to the former industrial site ‘Les Groues’ which will be transformed into a lively urban district with space for living and working until approximately 2025. ‘The new station is the first step in the development of Les Groues. The bridges connect the area with the city and the station allows to significantly improve public transport to Paris and the West,’ says Xavier Blaringhem, responsible for French projects at KCAP Zurich. Station RER E Nanterre is one of three newly planned stations of the 47 km extension in Western direction between Paris and Mantes, expected to be used by 600.000 to 700.000 people per day. The proposal named ‘Twist’ is composed of a station and an office building which reacts to its urban context in various ways: with a slight bend it follows the Boulevard de La Défense and the Terrasses de Nanterre. With this twist the volume opens up the street space to create a square. The station hall is a cut-out of the office building and acts like a big window with a framed view of the city. The aluminum facade of the building reveals a maximum transparency and the bridges are designed ...

KCAP was awarded with the second prize in the competition Morges Gare Sud, an architectural competition for 48.000 m² of housing, offices, hotel, retail, school and the train station. The project is located in the city of Morges' station area, where KCAP has been previously involved in an urban study. Due to growth of population and city in this main connection between Geneva and Lausanne, the municipality aims to combine densification with good accessibility and high living quality. KCAP's proposal consists of a 'family of architecture', searching a good balance between the ensemble’s coherence and diversity. KCAP teamed up with Morger Dettli Architekten Basel, Schweingruber Zulauf (landscape) and EBP (engineering). In total, 12 participants took part in the competition. The first prize was won by Aeby Perneger Associés from Switzerland.