Building campus 2.0 in Diepenbeek kicks off with striking parking building
The design for the new Bouwcampus parking building in Diepenbeek has been revealed. POM Limburg selected the concept by partners Democo, Debuild and Jaspers-Eyers Architects. The car park can accommodate 350 cars, but can later be expanded to 500 spaces. The expansion will be in height, on top of the existing car park. This way, the building will take up no additional space.
The Construction Campus is – alongside the Health Campus – one of the two major themed campuses being developed by POM Limburg on the new campus in Diepenbeek. The campus should become the hub of innovation in construction, and will be built as sustainably as possible. Tom Vandeput, Deputy for the Economy and Chairman of POM Limburg: “The Construction Campus is all about experiments and innovative ideas in construction. With this new parking building, we are putting our money where our mouth is and building modularly. The construction team is working with a digital BIM (Building Information Model) model, which facilitates that modular process. In the first phase, for instance, we foresee 350 parking spaces, but may expand this number to 500. Furthermore, the building consists of higher ceilings than standard car parks, and a central ramp, which can also be removed. This means that it will be perfectly possible to change the function of the building in the future,” said Vandeput.
Minimal footprint
POM Limburg applies the principle of densification on the Construction Campus. Work will be done in height as much as possible, on the existing surfacing. Thus, the new parking building will be placed on top of the current car park. Tom Vandeput: “We have chosen to provide a car park that is efficient as possible, with a minimal footprint. The building consists of four floors with about 80 parking spaces each. A fifth floor may be added in the future. By building upwards, we can keep space free for greenery and other future development. We are also fitting solar panels so that the building can provide its own energy.” Our ambition is to start using the building in the spring of 2024.
Car-free campus
The new parking building is an important first step in the realisation of a car-free campus. Tom Vandeput: “We encourage campus residents to leave their cars at the edge of campus and continue their journey on foot or by bike. Over time, we are working towards a ‘modal shift’, encouraging other modes of transport in particular. In 2023, we will construct a number of slow links that will connect this parking building to the rest of the campus. We will then create car-free roads to the Health Campus, to the campus heart at UHasselt and towards Hogeschool PXL, for example.”