Waterways and Sea Channel NV in Willebroek manage the navigable waterways and the surrounding lands in the west and the centre of Flanders. With over 1,000 km of waterways, Flanders has one of the most extensive and dense water networks in the world, which generates some important economical, recreational and rural trump cards. W&Z aims to put these trump cards to use as well as possible.

At the end of 2005, W&Z organised a closed competition for the design of a number of double work posts for the centralised operation of locks, bridges and other so-called ‘art works’. Up till then, the company only had control posts that were located in the constructions themselves. With the development of the work posts, the check and the operation of the art works could be done via high technology, all sorts of software and cameras from one central location by two people who would man the work post non-stop. This would not only be beneficial for the efficiency and the speed of operating the art works, it would also advance the traffic safety on the waterways.

In collaboration with Design Flanders, Waterways and Sea Channel NV selected a number of design agencies for this competition. Achilles Associates managed to convince the jury wit hits design, and won the job, which included the full technical development, the design and the production of 12 work posts.

Base don its extensive expertise in the construction of machines, construction and workspace design, Achilles conceptualised a sheet metal workstation with a very specific and striking design. In the tender document, the latter was described as “the aim for the stimulation of an ‘emotional’ connection of the Waterways personnel with the unit.” Based on an ergonomic analysis, a layout was drafted, which was used as a starting point for the general dimensions of the work post. Graphically, the command post refers to the bridge of a ship.