Sheer dynamism

Marc Van Peel, president of Antwerp Port Authority, said that while the former Hansa House recalled the 16th century, Antwerp’s golden era, “this new contemporary structure in shining glass represents a new golden century for Antwerp”.

The building on the base has its own story to tell. It was once a fire station, as well as a listed replica of a 16th-century residence and warehouse of the Hanseatic League, a northern European commerce and defence confederation. The original warehouse burnt down in 1893 and was rebuilt in 1922, on the north side of the port.

He said the original brief for the new Port House had been for an iconic building, that symbolised Antwerp as a world port, preserved the Hansa House, and was built according to the principles of sustainability. All the five entries for the eventual competition put the new building on top of the old, but Hadid’s design won out.

“What charmed the jury was the sheer dynamism of it. This is 500 years of fantastic history. You can entertain rhetoric with this building,” he said. “There is controversy. People ask how you can combine old and new, but that is exactly what we want to do.”

The Port House is opening four months after the completion of the largest sea lock in the world, the Kieldrecht lock, which connects the left bank harbour with the Scheldt. The Port Authority says it is just one step in its ambitious programme of transformation.

Indeed, the Port House will contribute to further development and upgrading of the part of the city known as Het Eilandje. Until 2014, Het Eilandje was still part of the port area, but it has now been reclaimed by the City of Antwerp, with the new dividing line now passing just above, through the Straatsburg dock, which connects to the Albert canal.

Previously bustling docks are empty of activity as shipping has spread to the vast docks to the north, now covering an area about 10 times the size of the city. Het Eilandje, like the London Docklands, is being turned from an abandoned industrial site into a trendy residential area. The Port House is expected to help establish Het Eilandje as one of the most coveted corners of Flanders.