Friendshipsite

The proposal for the reconversion of the Friendschip site in Antwerp was developed for CORES Development within a competition procedure for the transformation of a former office complex located between the city and the harbour, overlooking the MAS. Designed in collaboration between Areal Architecten, Max Dudler (Germany), and Karres+Brands (Netherlands), the project reimagines this strategic threshold as a layered urban ensemble that mediates between metropolitan density and the maritime landscape. The demolition of the existing building opens the site to a new morphology of housing, public space, and green structure, organised to capture light, air, and views of the water. The architecture balances vertical rhythm with precise proportion, evoking both solidity and permeability. Materiality and detailing translate the robust spirit of the harbour into a refined urban expression. Friendschip thus becomes a contemporary urban quarter — a meeting ground of dwelling, landscape, and memory at the city’s edge. Images: Max Dudler Architects