Name: Merle Schmidt-Jürgensen
Track: Architecture
Studio: Urban Architecture
Year: 2025 / MSc3/4
Type: Graduation Project
Tutor: Elsbeth Ronner, Chiara Pradel, Jos Lafeber
Description:
Antwerp's very hungry caterpillar explores the transformation of vacant industrial buildings into a new urban neighbourhood, rooted in the character and history of the site. This project encourages a careful reading of a building's architectural language and supports a non-hierarchical coexistence of old and new. It demonstrates the importance of thoughtful decisions - knowing what should be preserved, what can be changed and where demolition becomes part of a respectful dialogue rather than an act of erasure. A new spatial narrative reimagines the relationship between living and working spaces, incorporating a variety of functions, from public to private.