Brutalist Duplex Apartment in de Riverside Tower by Studio Okami Architects

The Riverside Tower is a higher-rise development from the early 70s built by Leon Stynen & Paul De Meyer, beautifully located in the bend of the river Scheldt, a stone’s toss from the metropolis center of Antwerp. It’s here, on the 13th flooring, that founding lover Bram Van Cauter of Studio Okami Architects renovated a duplex to match the brutalist tower which he calls his property.

When purchasing a new office environment place for Studio Okami on the 10th flooring, the owner desired to sell his remaining properties in the creating of which this special duplex was a single. The Riverside Tower is composed of 20 flooring with residences varying involving 90, 150, and 200 sqm. The exception is the 13th floor the place duplex flats kind a exceptional format with an inner corridor connecting both equally double raise shafts.

Studio Okami tore down the partitions of this 5 bed room condominium and stripped all the layers of finishing from the walls and ceilings revealing the fantastically textured concrete. The tough concrete was sandblasted and just after all the dust settled Bram, Doris, and their pet señor Peña were remaining with a 230sqm open plan single bed room loft house divided around the 13th and 14th floor.

The tough concrete is balanced out with a peach-colored liquid floor trough-out. The concrete partitions kind the ideal backdrop for Doris’s art collection, existing holes and plugs define the placement of each and every artwork. The several brick partitions were cemented and given an authentic glimpse by throwing minor stones into the settling cement. Upon getting into the apartment you are greeted by double-peak pivoting windows overlooking the harbor and neighboring forest. The room is conceived as an leisure region with kitchen area appliances tucked away in a Donald Judd-impressed wall unit.

The kitchen island is developed as a sculpture in the room when out of use, but very useful when in full chef-mode. Transforming the apartment at 45m earlier mentioned ground level meant all bespoke home furniture necessary to healthy the interior elevator defining the maximum size of the island and compelled us to weld and paint the steel blue spiral stair and passerelle on web site, a job well executed by Stielatelier. The new staircase was moved to the considerably corner of the room letting for a much better movement and reconnection with the sights from the leading windows when ascending to the higher floor.

This 14th ground is considerably far more secluded and defined by numerous up-standing concrete beams, sheltering the bedroom and research. On the Eastside of the apartment, a residing room with a property workplace overlooks the skyline of the town of Antwerp. The upper ground is organized by a specialized block housing the toilet, storage, washer/dryer, and dressing.

Within the rest room, the peach-coloured coating is stretched on to the walls offering a spacious watertight cell with double showers, sinks, and a bathtub. The slick walls are in sharp contrast with the overpassing tough concrete beams. At night time the lights from the metropolis and the harbor build a cozy vibe even though the rest room radiates a pleasant orange hue when in use.

Not obtaining a guest place was a consensus preference and an uncomplicated one particular to make as we are lucky plenty of to residence spouse and children and visitors in a secondary duplex on the exact floor which accommodates Doris’s art gallery and B&B, furnishing mates and loved ones with the full Riverside Tower working experience. An knowledge it is as the setting up can be viewed as a co-home avant la lettre, a vertical street where all neighbors know each individual other and communal areas like a washing place, carwash, and oversized entrance corridor overlooking the communal garden, raise social interactions.

The Riverside Tower matches in with the rest of Leon Stynen & Paul De Meyer’s magnificent oeuvre together with extraordinary is effective like the BP Developing, Church of Saint Rita, Peter Pan University, and deSingel.

Architects: Studio Okami Architects Space : 230 m² Yr : 2021 Photographs :Matthijs van der Burgt Producers : Hansgrohe, BTicino, Grohe, Novy, Wedi, Zangra, Innovus Direct Architect : Van Cauter Bram Indoor Building : Stiel Atelier Demolition : Afbraak Johan Janssens