Zaha Hadid's Port House Opens in Antwerp

The Port House, the new headquarters of the Antwerp Port Authority designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, opened yesterday in the Eilandje district. Originally scheduled for 2013 and then 2015, the project was completed posthumously after Hadid's death in March 2016, similar to her earlier Salerno Maritime Terminal. The building renovates and expands a former fire station, now housing 500 port employees previously scattered across multiple sites. The design features a glass extension over 110 meters long and 46 meters high, shaped like a ship's bow with triangular facets that are opaque, transparent, and reflective. The floating volume is anchored by a concrete structure, with tilted panels creating a distinctive appearance day and night. The project pays homage to Antwerp's diamond industry, evoking a multifaceted crystal. Zaha Hadid Architects won the international design competition in 2009, launched by the Flemish Government Architect in 2007; finalists included Xaveer De Geyter Architects, Rapp+Rapp, Vier Arquitectos, and a consortium of A2O architecten, Atelier Kempe Thill, and Marcq & Roba. The competition required preserving the existing building in its entirety, part of a broader city initiative to reclaim underused or abandoned properties.