A future built on the past

Antwerp’s Port Authority Building (aka Port House) is a gleaming obelisk perched above a building from centuries past. This striking structure was the vision Zaha Hadid created with her team at Zaha Hadid Architects, which won a 2009 competition to build the new building around a historic firehouse. Work completed in 2016, the same year the famed architect died. The expansion is intended to resemble the hull of a sailing ship, with a protruding bow glimmering with diamonds, recalling Antwerp’s longtime trade in precious stones.
© Dmitry Rukhlenko/Alamy