Katoen Natie VDW, Antwerp, Belgium

Located between the many historical warehouses in the ‘Natiebuurt’ and around the corner from their headquarters, Robbrecht en Daem architecten designed this new residential building for Katoen Natie. On the one hand, the design refers to the surrounding 'warehouse architecture', but it also wants to retain the smaller grain and vertical articulation of the existing terraced houses. The staggered cornice emphasises this verticality and promotes harmony in the streetscape. 
In concrete terms, the project accommodates seven new residential units with generous bay windows and terraces facing both east and west. On the ground floor, an office space is provided with a green patio connected to the existing courtyard of the Katoen Natie headquarters. This green patio is part of a larger future plan to introduce more interconnected open space in the heart of the dense urban block. The open structure of the gate allows passers-by to glance through the contours of the block.
Client
FEKA NV
Architects
Robbrecht en Daem architecten
Program
7 apartments and 105m2 of office space
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
Date
2020–…
Status
Ongoing
Floor Area
1473m2
Team
Paul Robbrecht, Hilde Daem, Johannes Robbrecht, Sofie Weytjens, Luc Beckstedde, Suzanne Desmet, Fien Werckx, Florence Daem, Jérôme Kockerols
Project Manager
Bert Heylen, Steven Hufkens
Structural Engineering
Stabilas
Services Engineering
Peritas
Acoustics
Daidalos Peutz
Landscape
Seghers Landschapsarchitecten