Visit: inspiration on the Belgian coast

As an architect, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of designing and planning. But taking the time to step away from the desk and explore the world around us, and to see the projects we are working on in real life, is crucial to our creative process. More than that, the excursion to Middelkerke was a great bonding experience for our team. It was a reminder of the power of collaboration and how being part of a supportive team can help us grow both personally and professionally.

Aida Chalak, junior architect at ZJA

Beacon on the Flemish coast

The iconic venue building will be integrated into a renewed sea wall and dune landscape, which will rewrite the historic relationship of the seaside resort with the sea. As a member of Bouwteam Nautilus, ZJA - in collaboration with OZ, DELVA Landscape Architects and Bureau Bouwtechniek - was responsible for the design.

New public space

The design strengthens the sea dike and makes it car-free, while helping to improve the quality of public space. The seawall and the Epernayplein will soon form a single whole. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year. We are eager to see it.

Credits

Client venue building Middelkerke: The municipality of Middelkerke
The Nautilus consortium is a collaboration between developer Debuild, chief designers ZJA (architecture) and DELVA (landscape architecture), OZ (casino and hotel design) and Bureau Bouwtechniek (execution architect), contractors Furnibo and Democo. They are assisted by experts from COBE, VK Engineering, Beersnielsen, Witteveen+Bos, Plantec, MINT and Sertius