New detention centre Antwerp, Belgium
Ensuring human conditions
Belgium’s detention centres struggle with overpopulation. There is a big need for additional capacity to ensure human conditions for detainees. The new prison in Antwerp will take the form and scale of a city with buildings, squares and streets. The outdoor space and landscape are essential here. This form of humane detention focuses on successful reintegration on the one hand, and on a modern working environment for prison staff on the other.
Kristien De Vries, project manager at Jan De Nul Group:
This is a huge institution covering about 40,000 m², a beautiful civil engineering project. The philosophy behind the project too, aiming for cooperation and a positive team spirit, is very dear to us.
The new Antwerp prison in numbers
Did you know?
- The design emphasizes innovation and sustainability, incorporating maximum reuse of rainwater and greywater, optimal daylight utilization, green zones and roofs, water infiltration and buffering via wadis and a ring canal, and connection to the local heating grid.
- The cellular buildings are located on a raised ground level and surrounded by poplars, which also makes the prison wall less prominent.
- The new penitentiary will be divided into 1 unit for 330 men, 1 unit for 66 women and 1 care unit, including a psychiatric ward for 44 persons.
Antwerp prison in detail
The Hortus Conclusus consortium, consisting of Jan De Nul Group, EEG Group, and TINC, is building a new prison on the former Petroleum-South industrial site in Antwerp. This public-private partnership enables the government to collaborate with private companies to deliver the project. The consortium oversees the design, construction, funding, and maintenance. Prefabrication plays a key role in the construction, with elements such as walls, floors, and technical installations produced off-site. This approach ensures greater efficiency and faster project completion.
