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When New Zealander Professor Regan Watts from the Faculty of Design Sciences moved to Antwerp five years ago, the support of his colleague Professor Koenraad Keignaert and his wife Katrien proved invaluable. ‘As a newcomer, you have a million questions and you want good answers to them’, Regan says while thinking back.

Disposable is out, reusable is in. People are buying cloth vegetable bags, metal drinking bottles and glass containers to reduce their carbon footprint. But just buying new products will not get us there. Our behaviour has to change as well, and that appears to be easier said than done. According to research by ‘The Reuse Lab’ at the University of Antwerp, implementing smart design can help.

The first English-language bachelor programme at our university has started: the ‘Social-Economic Sciences’ (SES) study programme, a broad programme with an international focus, attracted some forty Flemish and international students. Programme coordinator Koen Decancq, teaching assistant Kim Boudiny and student Tijmen Brouwer tell how the very first semester went.

materials at UAntwerp. With room for 37 potential laboratories and an emergency power supply capable of powering a small village, it is quite the technical feat. ‘You don’t have a blueprint ready for such a construction project’, says Mathias Capiau of the Infrastructure Department. Together with BlueApp manager Quinten Van Avondt, he guides you through the building process.