Antwerp Port House
Antwerp is a port city, it is one of the 20 largest port cities in the world. Antwerp Port House is a way to connect modernity and history. The original building not only housed everything necessary for the work of the port Authority headquarters, but also became a real masterpiece.
General information
More than 25% of all European ships pass through the port of Antwerp. To make the port services more comfortable, in 2007 the city authorities decided to build a new office. Interestingly, it was proposed to reconstruct the old fire station for this purpose. The building of the part itself could not be demolished, as it is an architectural monument. There were several projects to choose from. As a result, the choice fell on the plan of Zaha Hadid, a well-known female architect, the founder of her own architectural bureau. Hadid designed ultramodern buildings, distinguished from others by their unusual shapes, a combination of many lines and angles.
The fire station was integrated into a silhouette hovering above it, which resembles a ship in its shape. His sharp nose seems to cut through the sky, and many glass panels are reflected and partially dissolved in it. Some of the panels are made of transparent material, the other is opaque. From the outside, it is difficult to make out what is a window and what is part of the wall.
In the year of completion of construction in 2016, the architect died, and the square in front of the Port House was named in her honor.
What's inside the Antwerp Port House
Inside there is a fire station, the port authority, as well as a free space that is filled at the discretion of the administration. More than 500 workplaces have been comfortably set up at the Antwerp Port headquarters.
The first three floors of the Antwerp Port House remained brick, as well as the original arrangement of windows and arches. Access to the glass superstructure is possible using stairs or panoramic elevators. The glass ceiling is divided into identical squares supported by snow-white beams. In general, there is a lot of light and white structures inside - walls, floors. The glass ceiling forms a spacious courtyard, above which the "ship" is located.
In order to get on an excursion to this grandiose building on your own, you must first register via the website. For tourists and not only, there is a viewing platform with a beautiful view of the river and the city.
