Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek: An experimental field for designing coexistence

Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek is a pioneering project in the regeneration of post-industrial spaces, converting a former gas production site into a vibrant cultural hub. While critics have widely praised the project for its complex design and development process, entrepreneurial approach and careful remediation of a heavily contaminated brownfield, this article offers an alternative reading that foregrounds its capacity to enhance local biodiversity and foster multispecies cohabitation. Through the creation of a diverse range of spatial conditions, the park provides opportunities for colonization by both human and non-human users. Owing to its spatial and ecological heterogeneity, Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek is interpreted as an experimental field for coexistence-oriented, multispecies design and as a reference for the development of hybrid public open spaces in which ecological performance is integrated with functional and cultural uses.