Harbour House In Antwerp Looks to the Future

Zaha Hadid Architects was the mastermind behind this renovation and addition to the Port House of Antwerp, Belgium.

This dramatic addition to the Antwerp skyline took almost a decade to plan and build. The geometric glass and steel structure, which reflects the many colors of the sky throughout the day, is delicately balanced above the port house. This older structure is a former derelict fire station that has been gutted and renovated. The combined buildings now house Europe’s second largest shipping port.

The futuristic looking structure nests on top of the original, allowing a unique vantage point of the historical facade. This renovation allows the 500 staff of the Port to share a building for the first time. The sustainable building remains flexible for the future, allowing future growth.

The architect Zaha Hadid is well known for her designs that imbue her projects with sweeping lines and a sense of the future, often in combination with historic buildings. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. She passed away in early 2016. This design was completed posthumously.

Photographs by Laurian Ghinitoiu.