Antwerp, BE / The hangar on the ground floor is a welcoming gesture to the city, offering a direct and free encounter with art. It is an agora, a ‘third place’, for a varied and multifaceted programme. Its industrial character underlines a public and casual atmosphere. The plinth of the new building is in keeping with the history of the site and acts as a spatial bridge, a link, between the Scheldt quays and the Zuidpark. The building is porous and invites to be entered from four sides, enriching and extending the public space. The plinth and tower are clearly defined architectural components (horizontal and vertical) that are spatially and materially interconnected into one powerful and sustainable infrastructure, which can be used in different ways. The robust silhouette is reminiscent of a harbour silo, the materiality of the surface is active and changes with light and orientation. Four cores in the open corners serve a logical structure of stacked floors with interconnected rooms and plateaus that offer curatorial flexibility with different orientations and the potential for growth and change.