Zaha Hadid Architects Unveils Port House Extension in Antwerp — Crystalline Form Above Historic Firehouse
The completed Port House floats a glittering diamond-shaped tower above a 1922 firehouse, clad in triangulated glass panels that mirror the light off the River Scheldt.
ZHA Press Office·April 18, 2026
Zaha Hadid Architects has completed the Port House extension in Antwerp, Belgium — a crystalline diamond-shaped volume that rises above and is connected to a 1922 firehouse, now fully restored as a protected monument.
The new structure is clad entirely in faceted triangulated glass panels, each angled to reflect the River Scheldt and the shifting Belgian sky. The geometry is derived from the diamond trade historically central to Antwerp's economy.
The project doubles the Port of Antwerp's administrative office capacity while preserving every original facade bay of the century-old firehouse. Structural engineers Ney & Partners devised a system of four concrete cores that support the new volume above the existing building without touching its roof.
ZHA Principal Patrik Schumacher described the design as 'an act of conversation between eras — the solidity of the existing and the transparency of the new in productive dialogue.'
Content credit: Zaha Hadid Architects