Within the international paradigm of liveable cities, the presence of cars is considerably reduced in the centers of our cities, which also affects consequently the need of parking space in these areas. Moreover, a reduced need for parking can be expected in the coming years as a result of the technological evolutions of self-driving cars and shared mobility. However, the region of Flanders hosts a large number of underground public parking lots at very strategic positions in the city centers. This research aims to explore the possibilities of re-use of these underground spaces, combining international case study research with research by design. A network of underground parkings in the inner-city of Mechelen will serve as a first case study. This research by design was awarded with the ‘BWMSTR Label 2017-18’by the Flemish Government Architect (Team Vlaams Bouwmeester) and the Flemish Architecture Institute (VAi). The results of this research will be presented in February 2019, during an exposition at de Singel in Antwerp.
Researcher(s): Raf Ilsbroekx, Maarten Van Acker
Commissioned by: Team Vlaams BWMSTR
Period: Van 13/11/2017 tot 31/03/2019
Partner(s): Team Vlaams BWMSTR / VAi (Vlaams Architectuurinstituut) / Stad Mechelen
Parking Cathedral, Mechelen (© Raf Ilsbroekx)
Grote Markt, Mechelen (© Raf Ilsbroekx)
Grote Markt, Mechelen (© Raf Ilsbroekx)