Innovation

Transformation

Sustainability

Transforming an old industrial area into a future-orientated, maritime and innovative site

The Antwerp Maritime Campus (MCA) embodies a forward-thinking vision for the maritime sector, where urban development, innovation, and industry converge in a high-quality environment. Located on the redeveloped former BP site in the south of Antwerp, the campus catalyzes a dynamic transformation. Through the strategic clustering of maritime-related enterprises, the MCA fosters a resilient ecosystem of collaboration, knowledge exchange, and industry advancement.

Anchored by a clear spatial and programmatic framework, the campus brings together a wide range of actors. These include established maritime companies, start-ups, manufacturers, shipowners, research institutes, and educational organizations. The network expands further to include legal and financial professionals, communication and data firms, and public authorities. Their collective presence strengthens the sector’s innovative capacity, driving the sustainable evolution of maritime enterprise.

The MCA offers a complete urban environment where the physical context supports human and institutional interaction. Laboratories, co-creation studios, R&D facilities, co-working hubs, and educational spaces form the core of the campus. Complementary amenities such as food services, shared facilities, and wellbeing-focused spaces are integrated with precision. These functions invite engagement and offer places to meet, exchange, and recharge—fueling a productive daily rhythm within a cohesive campus fabric.

Situated on the river Scheldt and adjacent to the Hobokense Polder nature reserve, the MCA connects city and landscape through spatial gestures that respect and amplify its ecological setting. Nature development is embedded in the area’s transformation, enriching the campus with biodiversity and reinforcing its role as a resilient urban node. The architectural ensemble, bold and distinctive, signals the campus as a landmark at the southern gateway to Antwerp.

Designed with clarity and ambition, the masterplan embraces contemporary approaches to energy, mobility, and sustainability. Water management, clean energy integration, and slow mobility infrastructure shape a forward-looking campus environment. The result is an urban district that positions the maritime sector at the heart of innovation, rooted in a spatial framework that encourages openness, adaptability, and long-term value creation.

The Antwerp Maritime Campus reflects a model for productive city-making—where infrastructure meets imagination, and where the future of maritime industry unfolds in tandem with a new kind of urbanity.