On a landmark site along Antwerp’s grand avenue Frankrijklei, between the City Park and the vibrant Theaterplein, VIVA designs a new architectural ensemble. By merging four plots, a unique opportunity emerges to connect past and present in a contemporary residential project where light, space, and greenery take center stage.
Full textThree adjoining existing buildings make way for a carefully considered redevelopment. The neoclassical front and side façade of the corner building on Frankrijklei is preserved and forms the project’s historical anchor point. The adjacent building creates a transition between the 19th-century grandeur of the corner property and the 20th-century architectural language of the larger-scale buildings along the Frankrijklei. On the opposite site of the building block at the Tabakvest side, the new-build volume responds sensitively to the more modest scale and rhythm of the street, with carefully calibrated building heights that naturally integrate into their surroundings.
The ground floor accommodates commercial functions, contributing to an active and pleasant experience at street level. Above, 19 comfortable residential units are conceived, supported by a shared underground parking facility and designed with strong attention to daylight and residential quality.
VIVA deliberately opts for breathing space. Rather than building on the entire site, the volume along Stoopstraat is opened up at first-floor level towards the street and filled with an intensive green roof. This green heart provides cooling and water retention and feels like a quiet urban oasis, visible from the surrounding streets and the Theaterplein.
The project’s orientation enhances the residential experience: along the Frankrijklei, residents engage with the dynamism of the city, while the apartments on the Tabakvest side offer calm, light, and a sense of enclosure. Material choices respect the past. The heritage building retains its character with mineral plaster and white-painted joinery. The new construction translates the historic references into a contemporary expression, featuring solid volumes and rhythmic natural stone window openings. At the corner of Stoopstraat and Tabakvest, a slender white-beige brick with refined horizontal accents offers a subtle nod to the past. Throughout the ensemble, the ambition for energy-efficient, sustainable, and high-quality architecture remains central.
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