A futuristic re-design for one of Antwerp’s iconic buildings, a fantastic wood lodge with a looking-glass façade and Pantone’s color of the year: read this month’s architecture news in the last Industry News Digest of 2022.
Is this the new look of Antwerp’s famous art deco tower?
The Boerentoren in the heart of Antwerp (Belgium) is one of the city’s most famous landmarks. Completed in 1931, the art-deco masterpiece was once the highest tower in Europe and the first official skyscraper on the continent. Almost a century later, the story of the iconic building enters a new chapter.
Architect Daniel Libeskind has revealed plans for a spectacular transformation of the Boerentoren tower. Today the building is hardly accessible to Antwerp inhabitants and tourists, but Libeskind plans to give the tower back to the people of Antwerp by turning it into a new public cultural centre. It will be extended to create exhibition spaces, a panoramic viewing platform, a rooftop sculpture garden, and new restaurants and bars. Although Libeskind claims all original features of the historical building will be preserved, his futuristic and eye-catching design will give the tower a whole new dimension.
Read the full story here.
Viva Magenta is Pantone’s color of the Year
The Pantone Color Institute has announced that 18-1750 Viva Magenta is its Color of the Year for 2023. Pantone, which is seen as an authority in the field of colors, describes the brand-new color as ‘brave and fearless, whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration’, also claiming it is ‘rooted in nature descending from the red family demonstrating a new signal of strength.’
18-1750 Viva Magenta was inspired by the tone of cochineal extract, one of the most precious dyes historically used to color textiles, cosmetics, and food. ArchDaily selected 16 recent design projects from around the globe — including pavilions, houses and schools — that illustrate the possibilities of Viva Magenta.
Read on here.
The Looking Glass Lodge reflects the surrounding woodland
A stunning woodland retreat in East Sussex, England shows how the use of glass and a timber-clad façade can have an amazing looking-glass effect. The large windows allow you to see right through the lodge, which was designed by Michael Kendrick Architects. The low-impact, sustainable lodge creates an immersed experience as if it is one with the forest. It is constructed on a sloping site in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the south-east of England without harming any existing trees in the woodland.
The use of glass was a crucial element in the design process, as it allows natural light to flood in and it enhances the building's connection with its surroundings. Large windows offer spectacular views of the forest in two directions. Meanwhile, the electrochromic glass tints when an electrical charge is passed through it, providing privacy to the residents. "It was important to us that both main facades featured generous, seamless glazing”, Kendrick explained, “to give the lodge a sense of transparency and belonging within its setting."
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