The Belgian city of Antwerp has completed a huge technological transformation of its city hall. Thanks to expert help from Axians, the council chamber now boasts advanced videoconferencing, integrated voting, live streaming and secure audiovisual infrastructure.
The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Antwerp City Hall in Belgium embodies the city’s political and architectural history. Between 2021 and September 2022, this iconic monument underwent a major transformation by Axians, the VINCI Energies ICT brand, to bring it into the digital era without losing any of its soul. “This was a complex integration project in a unique environment – just the type of project where Axians can make the difference,” says .
Full videoconferencing system
The challenge was to modernise the council chamber within strict architectural rules and in perfect harmony with the building’s historical fabric. “We developed a bespoke solution to integrate a third-party voting system with the conference system from our supplier Televic Conference,” explains Frederick Degryse. This integration made it possible to eliminate redundant equipment.
The solution is based around a comprehensive conferencing system with headphones, individual microphones, audio distributed throughout the building, and videoconferencing to support hybrid council meetings. Axians also implemented “a fully automated camera system that follows the person speaking in real time”.
“A bespoke solution to integrate a third-party voting system with the conference system from our supplier Televic Conference”
Sessions can now be captured with precision, live streamed and enhanced. “We installed a broadcast and recording system connected to the conference system to automatically receive metadata such as the meeting name, agenda, and information on the person speaking.”
Reduced preparation time and more dynamic content
This innovative approach also extends to the infrastructure itself. An audiovisual network was installed in the building to distribute audio and video signals (AV over IP). “This network is completely secure and integrated with the customer’s IT system,” explains Frederik Degryse. Intrusion testing confirmed the system’s hardness, ensuring data protection and reliable communications.
The benefits were immediate and include “reduced preparation time for the customer’s admin team, thanks to the automatic integration of meeting agendas into our systems”. Local citizens benefit from “more dynamic content thanks to the system of automatic cameras” and live streaming of public sessions.
Interactive design process
Part of the challenge was to implement these upgrades without disrupting monthly council meetings. The business unit manager explains that the Axians solution was “an interactive design process alongside the customer, with multiple workshops, a well-defined scope and a clear approval process”. In this respect, preparation was key: design validation, offsite configuration and testing of equipment, and close coordination in situ.
For Frederik Degryse, the takeaways from the project are clear: “preparation for the project was a key factor in its success”, as were detailed understanding of data and network security, and expertise in audio and video over IP.
City council meetings today are more fluid, more transparent and accessible to all. Journalists and visitors can follow debates from other parts of the building, while their elected officials enjoy a modern, intuitive experience. Frederik Degryse concludes that “the city now has a future-proof solution that links its history with modern democracy.”
06/18/2026
