Blue Gate Antwerp is the first circular business park in Flanders. It is in full development on the grounds of the former petroleum port in the south of Antwerp. This 120-hectare brownfield is being redeveloped into a high-quality, water-bound and eco-effective business park.
In 2010, the outlines for this redevelopment were laid down in the master plan drawn up by OMGEVING. The city of Antwerp then organised a competitive dialogue in 2013 in order to select a private partner for the remediation, development and utilisation of the site through a public-private partnership. After an intensive process, the Blue O’Pen consortium, led by the DEME group and BOPRO, was appointed as a private partner in 2016. As part of Blue O’Pen, OMGEVING is responsible for the design of the public space and the site supervision. The design includes a logistics zone, a production zone, a zone for research activities and a central ecological corridor of 14.5 ha where, in consultation with Natuurpunt and the University of Antwerp, a natural and spontaneous vegetation will develop. OMGEVING also designed the ‘centipede bridge’ over the ecological corridor. The heritage relics from the petroleum past such as pipelines, warehouses and tanks contribute to the uniqueness of this futuristic workplace. The first phase of construction was completed in the summer of 2019.
