Waalkwartier rises on a raised dike above the Waal riverfront

Waalkwartier becomes a new urban district at the river Waal, with 950 homes, commercial spaces, cultural facilities, a public space network, and a new city park, on a site with a rich history that includes heritage from the Roman and industrial eras. Designed as a major urban flood protection landform, Waalkwartier's landscape is built atop two underground parking facilities which, together with a raised dike, upgrade the area’s resilience against erosion and rising water levels. The existing Honig factory site, positioned on a lower level, is partly preserved and fitted with a range of new public spaces designed to accommodate flooding. Around the Honig factory six new building blocks of robust loft dwellings are arranged around intimate collective green courtyards.

An industrial wharf between two parks

Waalkwartier's public space is unified through the theme of the wharf, an industrial car-free factory floor on which the buildings stand. The central concept of the landscape design sees the site as an industrial wharf nestled between two parks: the new Waalhavenpark in the east and the existing Fortpark in the west. The public space surrounding the Honig complex has its own character, distinct from the rest of Waalkwartier. Three zones follow from this: Honig, the wharf, and the park.

“Waalkwartier turns flood protection into public space, reconnecting Nijmegen with the Waal.” – Pieter Theuws, Landscape Architect & Associate Partner

Honig: a cultural hotspot with industrial character

The existing industrial Honig factory site, where once soups and pasta were produced, is an important part of the city's heritage, with the Honig tower as a recognizable beacon and striking icon of Nijmegen's industrial, economic, and social past. Honig transforms into a hotspot for cultural functions, creative industries, and events that extend to the surrounding public spaces, generating liveliness and a unique urban character. The redesign of the outdoor areas preserves the industrial character and feel of the former factory through reused materials such as large concrete slabs and bricks. Informal climbing plants and multi-stemmed shrubs add to the rough, unpolished character of the area. Key public spaces include Honig Square, which anchors the maker spaces, ateliers, cafés, bars, and cultural buildings, and celebrates the cultural and artistic production of new and future tenants. Steel silos preserved from the former factory become tree planters: a sequence of elevated pots that protects trees from flooding and creates a striking image, a gentle reminder of the river's flood levels. The public spaces around the Honig complex are marked by a sequence of custom-designed steel objects, colorful and robust, that complement the industrial character of the area and distinguish each space. The design of this recognizable family of objects is inspired by Honig factory elements such as tubes, production lines, and steel storage tanks.

The wharf: an industrial floor between two parks

Honig distinguishes itself from the wharf, which is an industrial floor of robust concrete elements. Paving sits in a grid with an industrial appearance, regularly punctured to make space for vegetation and trees. In orthogonal planting areas, a wide variety of trees, grasses, and shrubs offer a changing experience throughout the seasons. The rich planting palette brings biodiversity to this post-industrial area. The wharf is a car-free zone where pedestrians and cyclists have right of way. Within the unity of the wharf, diverse spaces engage in a dialogue with their surroundings. Key spaces include Thermenplein, inspired by a Roman thermal complex whose remains were discovered a few meters below the surface at this spot. Former baths are reinvented as water features and children's water play areas, ovens become tree planters, and ancient walls are recalled through a network of natural stone walls. The square remains accessible through a gradual slope that compensates for the height difference created by the flood barrier, while terraces along the facades with shops and cafés overlook the water playground and take advantage of the sun. The diagonal gesture that cuts through the wharf marks the line of demolition of old Honig factory buildings and unearths a historical road used to connect to former military fortifications at Fortpark in the west. This new Factory Street celebrates a gritty industrial identity and is the backbone of the wharf. The Waal Square, with an amphitheater overlooking the river, the Honig Tower Square, a compact urban plaza and meeting point for the area, and a smaller, more intimate neighborhood square complete the wharf's sequence of public spaces.

Waalhavenpark: a green dike with river views

Waalhavenpark, a public dike park, offers maximum greenery with fantastic views and an industrial character. The park offers the best of two worlds: a working harbor and a city park on the Waal River. In addition to its function as a dike, the park has an important strategic function within the city's network of public spaces. It relinks the city center via the new bridge over the harbor with the Honig complex and the creative hub NYMA to the west. It reopens the waterfront and allows for a continuous walking route along the river. A central pedestrian-priority route in the park becomes a boulevard where people interact and meet, sport, and play. The meandering concrete paths in the elongated park allow for a variety of uses, are accessible for people with disabilities, and open onto constantly changing views over the river. New green slopes with stairs, tribunes, and a viewing platform offer informal spots for visitors and locals to meet and interact. Natural playgrounds and a large wooden swing activate the park and allow for play or exercise, making it a new destination in the city. The park's ecological qualities include a wide variety of trees with groups of shrubs that allow birds to hide and nest. Slopes are equipped with flowering meadows that provide food and nesting opportunities for bees, butterflies, and other insects. The flat areas consist of spacious lawns where uses such as kite flying, picnicking, and festivals activate the park.

Project Details

Location: Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Client: Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Waalfront Nijmegen (Municipality of Nijmegen and BPD), Lingotto

KCAP: Landscape Architecture

Collaborators: Municipality of Nijmegen, Waterschap Rivierenland, Buro Boot, Keper Infra Advies, RHDHV, VMX Architects, Koschuch Architects, ANA, Arons & Gelauff, Blauw Architecten, Boeijenjong, Clafis, Donker design, Dura Vermeer, INBO, Rots Maatwerk, Winhov, Zecc, City Developers

Programme: 950 residential units, commercial spaces, cultural facilities, public spaces, Waalhavenpark

Construction: 2024 - ongoing

About KCAP

KCAP is a leading international design practice specializing in architecture, urbanism, and landscape architecture. Founded in 1989 by Kees Christiaanse, the firm is today led by seven partners — Xavier Blaringhem, Jeroen Dirckx, Ruurd Gietema, Anouk Kuitenbrouwer, Irma van Oort, Ute Schneider, and Edward Schuurmans. From its offices in Rotterdam, Zurich, and Paris, KCAP’s team of over 100 international professionals works on a diverse portfolio of projects across Europe and Asia, shaping sustainable, human-centered environments at every scale.

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