Visual quality plan De Lijn depot, Mortsel, 2020
A research study with a visual quality plan commissioned by "De Lijn" for a new bus depot and adjacent offices along the landing strip of Antwerp Deurne airport.

The site is part of a new urban development plan drawn up by Antea group for VLAIO. The plot is located between major traffic arteries: the airport, the railway, the bicycle path and the Krijgsbaan intercity road. It is a junction point in the landscape between the aviation infrastructure, the adjacent housing area and the natural park called "Little Switzerland", the cemetery and the "sports Oase" sport fields. IEA investigated the surrounding context and the necessary internal infrastructure to further define the optimal positioning, orientation and accessibility of the building. Various scenarios were configured to set up the program in a fluid and logical way across the terrain. The bus depot contains parking for 150 buses, car and bicycle parking for employees, a washing and tank street, logistics offices and technical services for bus management. The City of Mortsel worked to improve the visual quality of the building - which works like a “drive through” device - to achieve a higher architectural quality in relation to the current and future infrastructure in the entire area. IEA developed the visual quality plan from the research study and proposes to integrate the utilitarian building into the landscape by wrapping it with a characterful semi-transparent skin that allows for views but still develops a screen to passers-by and travelers.