#155 MyPictureDay ~ By the Scheldt River of Antwerp (2) - Port House 💎🇧🇪 | 女魔头设计的安特港楼

Greetings everyone! Today I'd love to show you the Port House of Antwerp I captured in the evening. Antwerp is the capital of Belgium's Flemish region. It is not as known as big shining cities like Paris, London or New York, but it is a gem. Lonely Planet calls this city:

The country’s capital of cool.
A powerful magnet for everyone from fashion moguls and club queens to art lovers and diamond dealers.

I once wrote a post about the beautiful Groenplaats in this city, and another post about a disappointed girl By the Scheldt River of Antwerp (1). Check them out if interested. This time, let's have a look at a striking architecture by the Scheldt River!

The Port House is Antwerp Port Authority's head office. It houses over 500 employees and acts as a meeting place for the international contacts of the port community. Besides the open-plan offices, it includes meeting rooms, a restaurant, a 90-seat auditorium, and an observation room. Wondering how it feels like working here? You can join a guided tour inside the building during daytime.

It is designed by the famous architect Zaha Hadid, whom was born in Iraq and known for her unique bold style in architectures. Unfortunately, she passed away just a few months before this Port House was completed. To remember her achievements, the square in front of this building was named after Hadid.

So when you look at my photos here, what's the first thing you notice? The eye-catching glass-covered façade I guess? This sparkling modern structure refers to Antwerp, the diamond city. It also symbolises the dynamic and innovative nature of the port, a port that is ready for the future challenges.

The facade of this huge "diamond" is made up of triangular window panels, some of which are reflective and some of which are transparent. The panels shimmer like rippling waves, and they reflect the interaction of changing shades and colours in the sky. It is a referral to the building's location surrounded by water.

The house you see under the modern expansion is an old fire station in Hanseatic style. Since it's requested to group the technical and administrative services in one location, this house had to be integrated with some extra space. So Zaha Hadid eventually worked out this design of stunning two entwined volumes in 2009. From my photos, you can also see an external bridge connecting the existing house with the new structure.

The window design helps in regulating the amount of sunlight entering the building, and plays a role in the sustainable nature for the construction, such as a bore hole-energy-storage system that takes care of the heating and the cooling, and an optimum daylight linking system that limits the need for artificial lighting. Sounds pretty cool right?

What do you think of these shots and the building? Have you been to Antwerp or Belgium? Feel free to share your comments below.
Stay tuned and see you soon! :)

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安特卫普一直是我很喜欢的欧洲城市之一，也是常被短期玩欧洲的游客忽略的地方。《孤独星球》把它称为“比利时的酷都”，说它“强烈吸引着时尚艺术爱好者、酒吧俱乐部迷和钻石经销商”。我曾经写过这座城市迷人的绿色广场，和斯凯尔特河边失望的小女孩。

前几天刚去了安特卫普港口的办公大楼，今天就来结合我拍的几张照片给大家展示一下。这座酷炫的建筑是建筑设计界的“女魔头”扎哈·哈迪德在2009年完成最终设计的。可惜的是，就在2016年办公楼完工前的几个月，她在迈阿密因心脏病离开人世。

这位出生在伊拉克的“解构主义大师”经常标新立异，大胆运用几何结构，在世界各地留下众多新奇的建筑。中国也有不少她的作品，比如：广州大剧院、北京银河SOHO建筑群、上海凌空SOHO、南京青奥中心，还有香港的理工大学建筑楼等。

看到这座大楼时，你最先留意到的会不会也是顶部那颗巨大的玻璃体呢？因为在水边，我第一眼看到它时觉得有点像一艘大船，一般解释是说这块闪耀的现代结构寓意安特卫普这座以钻石著称的城市，也象征着这个开放的港口城市充满活力和创新，做好准备迎接未来。还有人说这块大玻璃看上去像挤出的一条牙膏，躺在下面的牙刷上。这想象力，我不得不服啊！

下方的老房子是一座废弃的消防站。由于融合和扩展办公空间的需要，扎哈几经修改设计方案，最后很创新地在古典风格的旧屋上加了一块水晶石般的新结构，建成了让我们叹为观止的这座大楼。这处现代化办公空间可以容纳500多人办公，也是港口社区召开众多国际会议的地方。内部还有餐厅、礼堂和瞭望台等。如果你想看看在这座大楼里办公是什么样，可以参加白天组织的讲解导览团，进去走一圈瞧个究竟，还能远眺一下港口的风景哦~！

除了新颖的外观设计，大楼的可持续建造标准也很高，比如建筑中安装的调控冷热的钻孔式能量存储系统，和可以调节人工照明的日光优化系统。是不是很酷？

你觉得这座港口办公大楼怎么样？去过比利时或安特卫普吗？欢迎留言评论~ =)

^{All content by @itchyfeetdonica
图文 by Donica多
Photos shot with Sony A7R3 & iPhone 7}

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Thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think in the comments. Until next time! =)

感谢阅读！你的关注/点赞/留言/转发就是对我最好的支持~ 下次见！:)

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Here are some of my travel shots. Check out my travel posts on Steemit World Map, and follow me for more adventures around the globe!

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!steemitworldmap 51.241006 lat 4.407545 long d3scr