KERROCK® – Surprising creations at the Port Authority of Antwerp

Het Havenhuis is the main office of the Havenbedrijf Port Authority in Antwerp. The administration is located at the Zaha Hadidplein 1 square, named after the architect Zahe Hadid, who unexpectedly died a few months before the completion of the building. The new building symbolizes the dynamic, reliable, ambitious and innovative character of the port of Antwerp. The fully glass facade of the building’s extension invokes the undulation of water and in this way responds to the location of the building, which is surrounded by water. The water and port theme once again appear in the shape of an extension designed in the shape of a ship. The facility is a workplace of 500 employees and serves as a meeting point for many international contacts in the community of the port of Antwerp.

Not only is the view at the exterior of the building breathtaking, the interior where the marine theme continues, is astounding as well. The architect obviously had a perfect result pictured in her mind. In selecting materials for furniture, she decided for Kerrock® pretty soon. Kerrock® is very easy to maintain and very resistant, even in intensive use. The black desk in the central hall re-evokes the atmosphere of the ship. The desk, being the central point of the reception, is a real eye catcher and is made entirely of Kerrock®. One of the advantages of Kerrock® is that it is extremely flexible. It is also convenient for processing and pleasant to touch. For the reception, this is definitely a big plus, both for visitors and the reception staff. In addition, Kerrock® is suitable for very complex design.

Next to the building’s spacious reception hall there is a reading room where the work space is separated from the reading section with a single long piece of furniture made of Kerrock®. Not only aesthetics, practicality also plays an important role here. This piece of furniture does not only represent a barrier in the room, but also serves as a desk, an intermediary or working surface. The ergonomic aspect is therefore very important. The architect has chosen the Waterstone colour, which makes this piece of furniture stand out in the room to the maximum extent possible.

The conversation and seating area in the front of the auditorium was made in the dark color of a charcoal, which gives the furniture an impressive look in combination with rather square and sharp shapes.

In line with the project requirements, wash-basins in sanitary facilities had to be black and seamless. Kerrock® is seamlessly adhered so that fungi and bacteria can’t collect in crannies or joints. It is completely self-evident that in the new port building Havenhuis, where hundreds of people use sanitary facilities every day, impeccable hygiene is of primary importance.

Company GF Solids from Zonhoven, specializing in the processing of hard materials, and company Vink have joined forces for this prestigious project which symbolizes manifold possible Kerrock® applications. Due to the many years of experience of both companies, this reference project has been successfully completed.