Ney & Partners in the winning team for new building M HKA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp (BE)

The Flemish Government announces that the Belgian-Swiss team Bovenbouw Architectuur and Christ & Gantenbein wins the competition for the design of the new museum. The location – the site of the yet-to-be-demolished courthouse on the Waalse Kaai – forms a pivotal point between the Scheldt quays and the Zuidpark. The new museum will be a picture-perfect beacon and will also be located on the axis of the newly constructed Zuidpark. With its open character, the ground floor will connect to the urban space and contribute to the quality of the public domain. The compact tower volume of 80 m is a stepped stack of clearly recognizable components: the different functions in the museum: exhibition space, research functions, social-event spaces. Terraces on different floors also provide contact with the city.

The Flemish Government placed particular emphasis on realizing a robust and solid building with a low environmental impact. The design team opted for prefabrication and demountability in the supporting structure. Special attention was also paid to passive construction techniques. Ney & Partners is responsible for the design of the building’s structure.

Team: Architecture & lead design: Bovenbouw and Christ & Gantenbein, Landscape design; Robin Winogrond, MEP Consultant: Waldhauser + Hermann, Arcade Engineering, Fire consultant: Jensen Hughes, BIM: Arcade Engineering, Sustainability: Atmos Lab, M-gineers, Cost & quality control: Jaspers-Eyers, Copyright image: Bovenbouw Architectuur and Christ & Gantenbein