Antwerp Port Authority Headquarters
Zaha Hadid Architects


Image © Zaha Hadid Architects

The new Port Authority Headquarters - the future Port House - is located on the boundary between the city of Antwerp and its harbor.

The Port House consists of two entities: a former fire station and a new crystalline volume lifted above the retained building. Together they form an impressive new landmark as the headquarters of the Antwerp Port Authority, overlooking both the city and the harbor.

The new extension is positioned asymmetrically over the central courtyard, allowing light to enter the heart of the building. Leaving the existing structure untouched, it is supported by two sculpted concrete pillars that house stairs and lifts as well as a series of carefully placed steel columns that land in the courtyard.


Image © Zaha Hadid Architects


Image © Zaha Hadid Architects

The new volume is enclosed by articulated surfaces of triangular glass panels which are slightly rotated with respect to one another to achieve ever changing reflections that enhance its diamond shaped geometry.


Image © Zaha Hadid Architects

Staff and visitors arrive in the central atrium from where public counters, offices and meeting rooms in the existing building are directly accessible. The offices, meeting rooms, auditorium and panoramic restaurant in the new extension are accessible via panoramic lifts just off the central courtyard.


Image © Zaha Hadid Architects


Image © Zaha Hadid Architects


Image © Zaha Hadid Architects

Two underground levels of car and bicycle parking, the restoration and renovation of the existing building and the exterior landscaping of the site also form an integral part of the design.

Zaha Hadid Architects arcspace features