Europe’s first skyscraper will be redeveloped by Studio Libeskind. A glass cube is to be built on top of the elegant art déco style tower to act as an observation deck. The entire building will be renovated and transformed into a huge headquarters for an art foundation in Antwerp. In the past, Boerentoren has been bombed, almost destroyed by successive architects and neglected. If so, will Daniel Libeskind’s bold addition make a positive mark on the skyscraper’s turbulent history?
Monument of the century
The history of the Boerentoren dates back to the First World War. During the Great War, Antwerp’s buildings suffered significant damage, leaving post-war architects with the difficult task of rebuilding. In the 1920s, new quarters began to be built, and one of the showcase developments was to be a skyscraper. The plot of land was bought by the predecessor of today’s KBC bank, which declared its intention to build a modern building.
Rising to almost 98 metres, the building was incredibly impressive as it was the first and tallest skyscraper on the continent. The stepped reinforced concrete structure was covered with sandstone slabs of the façade, and fine ornamentation in the form of reliefs and hermes emphasised the ingenuity of the art déco style. The long bay windows climbing the façade are a distinctive feature. It should be noted that the skyscraper was not the tallest building in Europe, however, as even the city’s cathedral rises to 123 metres.
Interestingly, the carved details depict rabbits and fowl, as the main investor in the bank was the Belgian Farmers’ Union. The original name meaning ‘tower building’ has been superseded by the popular nickname ‘Boerentoren’ – ‘farmers’ tower’. It is noteworthy that in 1930, the building was being constructed in the pompous atmosphere of the Belgian World Exhibition, which celebrated the centenary of the country’s founding. Construction was completed in 1932.
Storm
During the Second World War, the building was shelled by German artillery and in 1945 the upper floors were hit by a German V-1 cruise missile. After the conflict, the Boerentoren was rebuilt, but the modernist architects of the 1960s were not kind to the art déco decorations. There were even plans to convert the building into a skyscraper in the International or even Brutalist style, but fortunately it ended in drawings. In the following decades, the building was rebuilt until it was listed as a historic building in 1981.
In 2020, the building’s long-time owner KBC bank sold the historic skyscraper, and plans to restore it to its former glory were on the horizon. Currently, Studio Libeskind’s plan is to erect a striking glass cube with an observation deck at the top of the building. This decision does not seem too controversial, as previous architects have redesigned the top of the skyscraper several times. For years, the roof of Boerentoren was topped by a large NCB logo.
Glass cubes and tradition
The observation deck will be accessed by two lifts climbing up the building’s façade. It will offer views of the buildings of Antwerp and the Flanders area. A sculpture park with a restaurant will be created on the adjacent roof, and an atrium with an open exhibition space will become the new heart of the building. It is in Boerentoren that the collections of the Phoebus art foundation will be on display.
The new design is to preserve and restore the existing architecture of the building. Studio Libeskind ensures that the development will celebrate the building’s turbulent history, so in addition to the new elements, the historic aesthetic qualities must be taken care of. At the moment, the decision-makers have reached an agreement and the investors have already allocated more than €100 million to start the preparatory phase. It must be admitted that Studio Libeskind’s bold proposal looks promising and does not resemble the well-known deconstructivist monstrosities. However, whether Boerentoren will look as it does in the visualisations will become clear in a few years’ time. In 2022, the press reported that the building was expected to open in 2028, but so far there are no more recent confirmations of this date.
Visualisation source: Studio Libeskind
Also read: Architecture | Curiosities | Skyscraper | Metamorphosis | Belgium | Art Deco| whiteMAD on Instagram
