B-city architecten

20/10/2026

(Looking beyond the level crossing) How can we make railway crossings safer while keeping villages connected?

Earlier this month, three teams of young designers came together for a four-and-a-half-day Planathon organised by the Province of Antwerp and the University of Antwerp. Their challenge: to explore the future of the railway corridor between Lier and Herentals.

Rather than treating individual level crossings as isolated problems, the teams looked at how rethinking the wider railway network could improve connections between villages, create new cycling routes and make public spaces more liveable.

Led by Prof. Maarten Van Acker, the workshop brought together design expertise from B-colleagues Toon Vanhout and Dion Lobregt, helping to shape a broader vision of how railway infrastructure can become a catalyst for rethinking the relationship between mobility, landscape and village life.

The proposals are not final plans, but a starting point for further discussion about the future of the region.
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VRT NWS visited the Planathon. Read more here: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2026/10/09/treinspoor-lier-herentals-experten-toekomst-overwegen-stations/
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Provincie Antwerpen
UAntwerpen
Maarten Van Acker
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Drawings: B-city⁠
Photo: Provincie Antwerpen
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15/09/2026

(Planathon 2026) In October, B-city will take part in the Planathon organised by the Province of Antwerp, focusing on the Lier–Herentals rail corridor.

The week-long design sprint builds on an ongoing collaboration between the Province of Antwerp and the University of Antwerp, bringing together academic research, public authorities and young design practitioners. The ambition is to better integrate spatial planning and mobility design along this multimodal corridor in the Zuiderkempen region.

The corridor is a layered landscape where rail infrastructure intersects with villages, open space, local roads and cycling networks, including future regional connections. The key question is spatial rather than technical: how can mobility interventions strengthen local places instead of simply crossing them?

Earlier this year, Master’s students in Architecture at the University of Antwerp developed design studies on level crossings along the line, exploring how bridges, tunnels or alternative crossings could reshape safety, accessibility and the surrounding villages.

Building on this work, the Planathon brings together young designers and experts for an intensive 4.5-day workshop, under the guidance of Prof. Maarten Van Acker, with B-city colleague Toon Vanhout joining the design team.

Rather than treating infrastructure as a standalone layer, the aim is to explore how it can act as a catalyst for stronger villages, better connected landscapes and higher quality public space.

The outcomes will be presented to the municipalities of Lier, Nijlen, Grobbendonk and Herentals, supporting future decisions on mobility, safety and spatial development.
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Images: B-city
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27/08/2026

(Throwback) Rethinking logistics, at three scales.⁠
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Recently completed, HEAT21 is an optimisation study for the ENA21 industrial estate in Herentals, developed by B-city in collaboration with the University of Antwerp. The study explores the spatial and mobility impact of a large-scale logistics development within the existing industrial context.⁠
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The question at the heart of the study: how can economic development be aligned with the carrying capacity of its surroundings — while strengthening mobility, liveability and spatial quality?⁠
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Our approach worked across three spatial scales.⁠
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At micro level, we looked at the distribution centre itself, focusing on internal circulation, logistics flows and its relationship with the immediate surroundings.⁠
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At meso level, we widened the lens to the ENA21 industrial estate as a whole, exploring shared mobility structures, accessibility and collective measures to improve the functioning of the site.⁠
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At macro level, we considered the surrounding neighbourhoods and infrastructure networks, developing strategies to improve liveability, traffic safety and spatial cohesion.⁠
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The result is an integrated framework for future development, bringing mobility, spatial quality and economic activity together within a single spatial logic.⁠
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More on our website: https://b-city.be/projects/heat21
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Client: Heylen Warehouses
In collaboration with: Design Sciences Hub
Images: B-city
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07/07/2026

01/06/2026

With the recent heat still fresh in mind, this is a timely moment to reflect on how climate and urban design are becoming increasingly intertwined. A contribution by B-city team member Maarten Van Acker (University of Antwerp).

Hitte is een gezondheidsprobleem, een sociaal probleem en dus ook een stedenbouwkundig probleem, schrijft Maarten Van Acker, professor stedenbouw aan de Universiteit Antwerpen en adviseur bij B-city, bureau voor stedenbouwkundig ontwerp.

19/05/2026

(New project) Shaping the future of ‘Prinskouter in Patroon’, Ronse.

B-city has been shortlisted to submit an offer for a new concept study in Ronse: ‘Prinskouter in Patroon’. The historic Prinskouter workers’ neighbourhood — a socially vulnerable district on the edge of the city — will be explored for ways to improve housing, public space and mobility in an integrated way.

The Flemish government’s concept grant supports the city in developing a forward-looking vision and identifying practical levers for urban renewal in this historically valuable, yet vulnerable, district.

The project also connects several B divisions (B-architecten, B-juxta and B-city) and continues our collaboration with long-standing partner Stadim, an independent real estate advisory firm.

A chance to combine heritage, social impact and urban renewal — watch this space.
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Client: stad Ronse
In collaboration with: B-architecten, B-juxta⁠, Stadim
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07/05/2026

(Throwback) Exploring two urban futures⁠
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At the end of last year, B-city completed two concept studies for the cities of Turnhout and Oudenaarde — a valuable and engaging process together with B-juxta, OMGEVING and IDEA.⁠
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Concept studies, initiated by the Flemish Urban Policy Department, focus on projects that are not yet fully defined and require in-depth conceptual exploration. In 2024, five such trajectories were awarded — we were entrusted with two.⁠
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In Turnhout, the Grooten Singel study lays the groundwork for a broader urban renewal project. In Oudenaarde, the redevelopment of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw hospital site explores the transformation of a historic site into an open and collective urban platform, bringing together public services, heritage and civic life.⁠
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Both studies are not final designs, but shared visions — establishing a spatial framework and project definition for the next phases to build on.⁠
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More on both projects on our website.
Grooten Singel: https://b-city.be/projects/grooten-singel
OLV hospital site: https://b-city.be/projects/olv-hospital-site
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Image 1: Grooten Singel
Client: Stad Turnhout
In collaboration with: B-juxta, Omgeving, GSJ advocaten, IDEA Consult

Image 2: OLV hospital site
Client: Stad Oudenaarde⁠
In collaboration with: B-juxta, Omgeving, Patrick Maes
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15/01/2026

One more seat to fill —
B-city is looking for a new colleague to join the team!

B is the sum of four studio divisions called B-architecten, B-bis, B-city and B-juxta. At B-architecten, we design sustainable buildings that enhance both the urban and the open space.

14/08/2025

(In the works) From September, B-city kicks off a research-by-design study on several industrial sites around The Loop junction in south-west Ghent — part of our five-year framework contract with the city.⁠
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The fragmented territory, defined by heavy infrastructure and spatial barriers, offers both challenges and opportunities. The aim? To develop a flexible toolbox of spatial strategies that can guide sustainable and climate-resilient transformation over time.⁠
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This study brings together ongoing visions into a shared framework — one that links open space, mobility, and future programming in a coherent urban structure.⁠

Get a first look at the project on our website — more to follow soon: https://b-city.be/projects/the-loop-hub
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Client: stad Gent
In collaboration with: Patrick Maes mobility expert⁠
Image: B-city
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09/07/2025

This past weekend, we presented three possible future scenarios for the Grooten Singel site in Turnhout to the wider public. This participatory moment marked the conclusion of our design research, carried out on behalf of the City of Turnhout.

Grooten Singel is the city's oldest urban block — a site rich in meaning and potential, but currently marked by vacancy and underused space. Together with the city, we’ve been exploring how this area might evolve in the long term into a sustainable, vibrant and green neighbourhood, with space for housing, nature, social interaction and public facilities.

Over the past months, our design-led research has resulted in three spatial scenarios, each proposing a different response to the insights from the initial analysis. These were shared and discussed with the city, key partners, experts and residents — and now also with the broader community.

All of this input will now inform the development of a synthesis scenario: not a fixed masterplan, but a guiding framework the city can use to support future decisions and developments.
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Learn more in GVA:
https://www.gva.be/regio/antwerpen/kempen/turnhout/niet-alleen-cultuur-op-festival-stadstoeren-ook-inspraakmoment-over-aanleg-nieuw-stadsdeel-grooten-singel/75753192.html

… and on our website: https://b-city.be/projects/grooten-singel
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Client: stad Turnhout⁠
In collaboration with: B-juxta, Omgeving, GSJ advocaten, IDEA Consult
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