ORG @ Architecture Biennale Rotterdam "It's About Time"

ORG’s Antwerp Ring Project was selected for exhibition in the Ancestor trajectory of the Rotterdam Biennale on account of its long-term, multi-generational, planning for transition in the metropolitan region. By working towards a comprehensive mobility transition Antwerp acts as a 'good ancestor' for the residents of now and the future.

The Antwerp project is an example of how an integrated approach can tackle hard dynamics. The application of analytics, combined with consistent stakeholder work and collaborative visioning builds towards a realizable project with a real budget and timeline and stakeholder support. The built project is an adaptive vision that meets the mobility needs of generations and creates quality green spaces out of what once was hardscaped, lifeless transportation infrastructure.

The transition is a model of how new transportation infrastructure can fit conscientiously into the landscape, compared to how existing infrastructures cut through neighborhoods and communities, creating congestion, pollution and division. With new technologies ORG implements a new level of infrastructure that functions in a more streamlined, transitionary capacity for a new kind of movement of people. This is an incredible opportunity to work in the city of Antwerp and see the kind of quality of life improvements that can be implemented to create a widespread impact on the daily life of citizens, from air quality, to lifestyle services and amenities to reconnecting communities.

This live project is engaging this imaginary with multi-generational works, initiating the development of new ecosystems that will evolve and grow over time, building new sustainable infrastructures for the next generations. The process of bringing these large-scale visions into reality is an epic task, full of risks, obstacles, calculations, tests/pilots, and hard work and communications efforts. Bureaucracy, policy, law, finance, politics and time are just a few of the many hurdles this project encounters on its journey to realization.

The exhibit included scale models detailing the interventions and a timeline of the entire endeavour. This timeline represents the mobility transformation efforts of Team Intendant towards a realization of The Great Connection for the Antwerp Ring Road. The project vision is detailed through its many challenges and phases. The initial graphics detail the types of infrastructure developments that have been designed including innovative intersections and nature corridors, bike paths, capped highway, etc. The images also relay the development of soft spaces encouraging social gathering, play spaces and natural proliferation of habitat. Next, info graphics detail in brief the social infrastructure and involvement imbedded into the development of all phases and ring parks. The timeline articulates key historical, political and social developments leading up to the participation of team intendant.

While the project timeline does not include all of the thousands of workshops, co-creation sessions and events, it is intended that a highlight of key instances will communicate the beautiful complexity of this city-wide collaboration in transforming the mobility system and creating the largest urban park on an infrastructure ever made.

By capping the Antwerp ring and through the creation of new mobility networks with infrastructural interventions such as multimodal hubs, the city embraces new forms of mobility that provide an improved social and environmental quality of life.

The surrounding models articulate the transitions of the plans over time and through the process of co-creation.