Aquafin is responsible for the financing, expansion and development of the supra-municipal water treatment infrastructure in Flanders. The company has its  headquarters in Aartselaar and also has a network of decentralised services throughout Flanders. Several of the local office buildings are used as locations for internal training sessions and guided tours for external visitors, etc. However, some of these buildings today no longer fulfil the requirements with respect to user comfort, appearance, recognisability and energy performance.
Furthermore, they lack a uniform Aquafin identity. Aquafin's mission is primarily a social one: the purification of waste water in order to improve the quality of surface water in Flanders. The buildings must also reflect this mission.
For these reasons, Aquafin is planning the renovation of six such buildings: in Ghent, Ypres, Leuven, Deurne, Mechelen and Ostend. Depending upon the location, function and user comfort of the building, the emphasis will, to a greater or lesser degree, be on the elements given below. In any case, recognisability will be the connecting theme.
Aquafin wants a contemporary appearance and clear recognisability for the buildings in keeping with its mission, values and house style. At each location, attention must be devoted to ensuring that the building fits in with the surrounding area.
The buildings must be organised in such a way that optimal use is made of the available space, taking into account the number of employees and proposed functions.
In addition to the practical and functional conditions, the energy performance of the buildings is also of importance. Aquafin is open to alternative energy systems and sees a challenge in the reuse of the available heat from the installations.
Aquafin is formulating an open call to draw up a draft proposal for the aforementioned six buildings. Following the completion of the first building, an evaluation will follow on the basis of which Aquafin will then decide to complete the other five buildings. Aquafin retains the option to allocate the remaining sub-assignments to the designer.