The design of the new marina at the small village Fort Lillo near Antwerp was elected as the winner of the Architecture Award 2010 by the Province of Antwerp. The design was made by Grontmij in collaboration with Cluster Landscape. Grontmij landscape architect Sophie Depauw was especially lauded. With this award the jury honours the inventive work of young architects with a broad vision on architecture and urbanism.

The jury explains its choice as follows: ‘The power and significance of the project lies in the generous way in which a response is provided on specific social issues. The design fits within the larger Sigma Plan to prevent flooding due to increasing water levels. The landscape architects effortlessly based their design for the new marina Lillo on this huge problem of water management.’

‘The architect fully exploit the potential of the site and create a harmonious relationship between nature and recreation. This project embodies one of the major challenges Flanders will face in the coming years to come. In particular the creation of space where simultaneous and sometimes contradictory functions need to be joined together, ‘ the jury said.

About project Fort Lillo
The design assignment concerns the drafting of a master plan for Lillo, a small village along the river Scheldt. The landscape and heritage value make Lillo a unique place within the context of Antwerp. The framework and context for the drafting of this masterplan is based on the location along the Scheldt and the development of Lillo as a military fortress in the sixteenth century.

About the Architecture Awards
The Architecture Award is organised by the Province of Antwerp and gives out an award every four years to an architect or a group of architects under the age of fourty years for a project located in the Province of Antwerp.