Neutelings Riedijk Architects has unveiled images for the Heldentoren, the latest icon of Knokke-Heist, in Belgium. Scheduled for construction starting October 2020, the mixed-use 70 meters high development is set to become one of the highest towers along the Belgian coast.
Conceived as a new beacon for Belgian beach resorts, Heldentoren “will rise on the site of the famous Grand Hotel – Casino Kursaal, adjacent to the Helden Square along the boulevard”. Bordering the Netherlands, the project is located in the Belgian coastal municipality of Knokke-Heist. Created by Rotterdam-based Neutelings Riedijk Architects, the project consists of 3 entities, 3 interconnected buildings by an underground car park level. The urban ensemble combines a 20-story residential tower, a five-story apartment tower, and a restaurant pavilion.
Taking an undulating shape, the structure seeks to capture the attention of passers-by, slowing them down and redirecting them to views on the North Sea. Getting slenderer as the tower goes up in height, the sculptural volume generates rounded glass corners, amplifying the interior spaces. Moreover, double-height ceilings enhance both the elongated aspect of the built mass and the spatial quality of apartments. Ceramic panels with vertical lines on the facades alongside the glass envelope produce changing and playful reflections, blending in the natural surroundings.
Heldentoren Knokke-Heist
- Program: Mixed-use, apartments, retail, restaurant & cafe, underground car park
- Surface area: 9.000 m2 BVO
- Location: Heldenplein, Knokke-Heist, Belgium
- Client: SALT & dvlp.
- Architect: Neutelings Riedijk Architecten, Rotterdam
- Design Team: Willem Jan Neutelings, Michiel Riedijk, Dieter de Vos, Frank Venhorst, Kenny Tang, Ines Escauriaza Otazua, Julia Söffing, Jelle Homburg, Alexey Boev, Hilbrand Wanders, Niels Decoster, Pierre Mangematin, Raven Kluijfhout, Marit Meganck, Andrea Keresztely
- Architectural engineering: Bureau Bouwtechniek
- Structural engineering: Stedec / VK Architects & Engineering
Archy Naija 
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