HPP-Y-GEN on a city trip in Antwerp
General news, HPP-Y-GEN
HPP-Y-GEN, our community with the next generation decision-makers, is growing and developing. After a year of online meetings, we had a very nice excursion planned: a city trip to Antwerp! Together with our members Cordeel and Whitewood, we organised a nice programme with an interesting mix of commercial, recreational and residential real estate. We also got a look behind the scenes of our member CONIX RDBM.
While enjoying delicious Belgian coffee cakes, we started our day on Friday morning with a walk through the Antwerp city centre towards the London Tower. The London Tower project, a complex of approximately 42,000 m2, was designed by CONIX RDBM. It is a contemporary elaboration of qualitative high-rise and is an example of the qualities of urban densification. In an entertaining presentation, they showed us how the project enters into dialogue with the local urban landscape on an architectural and urban planning level.
After a walk on ‘t Eilandje, we were welcomed with a nice lunch by Whitewood in The Beacon. During a presentation and tour, they showed how they transformed this former Tolhuis, in a very bad state, into an internet hub in collaboration with AG Vespa. The Beacon has grown into a real IoT community, where large and small companies, startups and scaleups, researchers and capital providers meet.
Our last visit was to one of Belgium’s largest contractors, Cordeel, with their headquarters and own production facilities near Antwerp. They showed us how they work with practical applications towards their goal: to become the fastest builder in Europe, in a safe, smart and high-quality way. In conclusion, the innovation (C-Innovation) department of Cordeel presented us with their progress in the future of building.
It was great fun and interesting to get a look behind the scenes at the various companies and hear about the challenges and approaches of their projects. After the intensive day with a lot of information, it was time for some relaxation in the Antwerp café the 7Schaken while enjoying a dinner of real Belgian dishes followed by a few more Belgian beers.
On Saturday morning, for the enthusiasts, an organised city tour was on the programme. A walk that took in shops, buildings and places that have been decisive for the development of Antwerp as a fashion city. Summed up, it was a memorable trip and a fun way to get to know each other better. The next meeting of HPP-Y-GEN is scheduled for Monday 22 November. See you then!