The waterside site offered sustainable construction benefits, allowing materials and components to be transported by water, which would meet the port's ecological targets. In honour of the architect, the quayside in front of the building was named Zaha Hadidplein ("Zaha Hadid Square") by the city council. Design The expansion of the building is located directly above the renovated fire station. It has a glass-covered facade to "reflect the complex interaction of shades and colours in the air", a reference to the building's location surrounded by water. The volume measures over 100 metres in length. The expansion resembles the hull of a sailing ship, with a protruding bow and the surface of the facets of a diamond facing the Kattendijk dock. This is also a reference to Antwerp's association with the diamond industry. The exterior of the "diamond" consists of transparent and opaque triangular facets. This allowed the architects to control the amount of sunlight entering the building. The placement of the facets mimics the nearby River Scheldt. Project manager Joris Pauwels stated that concrete pillars and 900 tonnes of steel hold the glass workspace above the former fire station. A bridge level joins the two structures and gives employees a 360-degree view of the public square and the Scheldt below. The design of the building took energy efficiency into account, reaching a 'Very Good' BREEAM environmental rating. A borehole energy system pumps water to a depth of 80 metres below grade in over 100 locations around the building to provide heating and cooling. The company Cegelec was in charge of installing and unifying the energy networks of the two buildings, with the insertion of plastic pipes to achieve an energy storage volume of 12 cubic metres. The restored and preserved fire engine hall contains a public reading room and a library. The whole building has a total floorplan of 12,800 square metres, with 6,600 square metres in the refurbished fire station and a further 6,200 square metres in the extension. Accessibility The port house has two areas of private parking. The entrance of the underground parking area is at the Mexicostraat, with charging points for electric cars. The second parking area is roughly two minutes from the Port House, on the Merantistraat. Across Antwerpen-Centraal railway station is a tram stop where you can take tram 24 (Silsburg-Havenhuis) to its final stop in front of the Port House. Awards The Port