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Sanba and city, Antwerp (B).

A riverside ensemble.

The ‘Sanba and Stad’ project comprises a dyad at an exclusive location in the bend of the river Scheldt in Antwerp. It includes the renovation of an historic warehouse and the new construction of a lavish and elegant residential building.

Sanba is a model type warehouse which runs throughout the city block and has 2 identical facades on the Rijnkaai andin the Braziliëstraat. The deep floors with robust, concrete structures are reflected around the central courtyard with the authentic stairs and passageway which give access to the building. This part of the building is to be renovated with maximum retention of the warehouse’s original identity. A two-storey penthouse has been added to the riverside. This penthouse – the roof villa – is leant form by virtue of its own sculptural identity whose copper roof creates contrast with while “capping off” the adjacent warehouse.

Stad is a new-build apartment building located on the Rijnkaai side. The building is characterised by its 15 mlong façade which has an open relation to the Scheldt and its magnificent bend. The inner area is shared with Sanba. Each layer houses a spacious residential unit oriented to both sides of the building. With the exception of a singlecolumn, the homes are entirely structure-less, allowing for total flexibility in tailoring the space to individual requirements.

The characteristic facade structure seeks a balance between the special surrounds and an intimacy that goes hand in hand with living. Subtle shifts in the facade surface intimate the scale of each residence in the building as a whole. As if grafted upon these shifts, the window openings become more and more generous as the height increases: from intimate living spaces on the first floor to a more directr elationship with the river on the highest floors.

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Client
Rijnkaai bvba
Location
Rijnkaai 22-24, Antwerp, (B).
Year
2008
 – 
2011
 – 
...
Size
4,800 m²
Status
Completed
Team
Hans Caarls
Koen Drossaert
Stephanie Bekaert
Awards
Publications
Photography
Visualisation
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The project consists of the renovation of a historic warehouse ('Sanba') and the new construction of a spacious and elegant residential building ('Stad').

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Sanba is an iconic type of warehouse that runs through the building block and has 2 identical facades on the Rijnkaai and Braziliëstraat.

The deep floors with a sturdy concrete structure are mirrored around the central courtyard, with the authentic stairs and passerelle, that opens up the building.

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Sanba warehouse, before the renovation. The passerelle and staircase have been preserved, but the enclosed courtyard has been fully opened.
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Groundfloor plan
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The old elements of the passerelle are shown purely: the concrete structure and the steel staircase. The new elements are added as a visible second layer.
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A compact garden, designed by Bart & Pieter, gives an intensively green character to the courtyard.
A compact garden, designed by Bart & Pieter, gives an intensively green character to the courtyard.
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The shared courtyard provides air and light. This creates an extra space that can be used by residents in many ways.

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The offices of HUB architecten are housed in the old warehouse.
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The large open spaces give the offices a strong character of their own.
The large open spaces give the offices a strong character of their own.
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With the exception of one column, Stad's façade-wide houses are completely structureless and can therefore be organized in a very flexible way.
With the exception of one column, Stad's façade-wide houses are completely structureless and can therefore be organized in a very flexible way.
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The characteristic facade structure seeks a balance between the special environment and an intimacy that goes hand in hand with living. The higher the apartment, the wider the windows.
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