Dealing with Vacancies and forgotten structure is the topic of this studio . Therefore , the sensitive treatment of existing and empty buildings plays a significant role . Architects are used to refurbish an existing structure into a functional and valuable place , but not this time . The narrative has changed . In order to better understand the functionality and the history of a vacancy , a ruin needs to be created . Therefore , an existing and used building should be transformed into a lost place .
The target of this approach is the Port House in the Belgian city Antwerp designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in London . The history of the Belgian city is rich on events and offers a lot to discover . Already in the 15 . century , the harbour was vibrant and economically in bloom . The Harbour is still today one of the largest in Europe . As a result , the Port house hosts the harbour commission . Therefore , it is placed directly next to the river and oversees the harbour . The glass façade and the shape of the building is associated with diamantes , which fits to Antwerp ’ s image , then the metropolis is also well-known as the city of diamonds ( Geuder , 2017 ).
The Port House does not shine anymore in this story . In close future the climate change has a large impact on the oceans and the sea level . Gigantic waves overrun Antwerp and its harbour . Consequently , the area is flooded and lost . Water runs in every house , and it does not take long until the people had to leave for ever . The disaster leaves its mark . The otherwise sublime architecture of the city is beginning to crumble . At the same time , nature is taking back the lost areas . Not only small buildings standing in the water , but also once imposing architecture like the Port House is slowly being covered by trees and bushes .
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Fig . 3 Collage of the Port House as a ruin
* The project in chapter 2.2 Creating a Ruin was a group work with Mara Heymann . The text was written within the group .