The diamond panels
Triangular glass reflecting the sky at sunset.
Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jean Housen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jean Housen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jean Housen — CC BY-SA 4.0
The interior is the port's working headquarters and cannot be entered casually; guided tours (about ninety minutes) run at weekends and some days, booked in advance via the port's site, and sell out. For the architecture lover: book weeks ahead. For others: the exterior at sunset suffices and dazzles.
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The Port House is the headquarters of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges (Europe's second port) and the last major completed work of Zaha Hadid (2016): a giant glass ship clad in triangular diamond-like panels floating above a historic 1922 fire station (Hanseatic style) on slanting concrete columns — a bold architectural masterpiece joining old and futuristic, the diamond (Antwerp's symbol) with the ship (the port's). From outside it is an unforgettable sight, especially at sunset when the panels reflect the sky, with the old docks around it. The interior is a working office visited only on limited guided tours (usually weekends, booked through the port) climbing to the bridge with a view over port and city. At the far north of the Eilandje quarter (10 minutes on foot from the MAS or tram 7) — for the contemporary-architecture lover: a detour worth making, combined with the MAS and Red Star Line on a harbour day.
Triangular glass reflecting the sky at sunset.
A 1922 fire station carrying a 2016 ship.
Zaha Hadidplein 1, 2030 Antwerp