Apartment Building in the Docklands

On a prominent site in the old port of Antwerp, next to the Kattendijkdok, we have constructed a stately residential building on the Londenstraat: an urban ‘palazzo’. The building is draped in a rhythmic, undulating facade, the order of which is both monumental and layered. The rhythm accommodates living spaces and large indoor terraces, which brings an air of domesticity and dynamism to the imposing volume. A shallow cantilever along the commercial spaces in the plinth creates intimacy for the pedestrians on the boulevard. A central passage, which bisects the palazzo, connects the Londenstraat with the courtyard. Glass facades lead the eye through the passage towards the interior. Two entrance areas provide access to nine apartments per floor. The route from pavement to front door is suffused with light and offers fine views. Sergison Bates Architects and Bulk Architecten designed the other four buildings in this city block.