Office Building in the Port of Antwerp

The reconversion of a modernist office building from the 1970s marks a new generation of industrial architecture within the Antwerp harbour landscape. Areal Architecten reimagines the existing structure as a contemporary workplace complemented by a new IT-Hub, where functionality, sustainability and human scale converge.

The original concrete frame is preserved and extended with new wings, open work floors, and double-height meeting spaces organised around two central stair cores. The top floor accommodates a town hall with a roof terrace — a shared space for dialogue and connection, flooded with light and views across the industrial horizon.

The architectural expression balances robustness and refinement: prefabricated concrete, glass, and subtle green tones lend the building a restrained monumentality. The surrounding grounds are partially dehardened and restructured with wadi systems, greenery, and a raised floor level, rendering the ensemble climate-resilient and future-proof — an example of functional precision with architectural depth.