Studio Libeskind to add glass crown to art deco Antwerp skyscraper

Architecture firm Studio Libeskind has unveiled updated plans to restore and convert Antwerp's Boerentoren skyscraper into a cultural venue, which will be crowned with a glass observation deck.

Designed for The Phoebus Foundation, the proposal by Studio Libeskind and local studio ELD reimagines the office high-rise as "a dynamic public space that celebrates heritage, contemporary art and panoramic city views".

The latest plans are dramatically pared back from the original, angular proposal revealed by the studio in 2022.

Recognised as a city landmark, the Boerentoren office, also known as the KBC tower, was originally built in 1932 and was Antwerp's second-tallest structure until 2019.

Paying homage to the building's legacy, Studio Libeskind's intervention will largely retain the office's exterior, while its interior will be rearranged to accommodate new cultural spaces.

Its existing art-deco structure, which sits on a triangular plan, will be paired with glass additions.

"At the heart of the project is the belief that the building's future must be shaped by its past," studio founder Daniel Libeskind said.

"The new design is wholly informed by the existing structure: its triangular plan, structural grids, facades, and materials."

"This architectural heritage is not overwritten but embraced—each layer of time forming part of a new architectural tapestry," he added.

Externally, two external elevators will run up the outside of the building to carry visitors up to a top-floor viewing platform.

Renders of the space reveal expansive glass openings that will wrap around the tower's form and be finished with decorative steel elements.

ON the lower building, a second glazed volume will follow the existing triangular structure and be topped with a raised public garden overlooking the city.

The garden, which will connect to the tower and its elevators, will be complete with angular planters and paths.

A large triangular skylight will centre the garden, drawing light into a lofty atrium below.

Inside, the atrium will serve as the heart of the building housing exhibitions and cultural events, which will be overlooked by internal openings of the tower's upper floors.

Other spaces will include the Tower Living Room, which has been designed as a "museum-like space open to all".

Elsewhere, the studio has unveiled plans for a mixed-use building with angular plant-covered facades in Paris and completed a social housing development that feels "like home" in Brookyln.

The renders are courtesy of Norviska unless otherwise stated.

The post Studio Libeskind to add glass crown to art deco Antwerp skyscraper appeared first on Dezeen.