Empty room with large glass sliding door leading to a small outdoor patio with tiled flooring and a white fence, in a modern apartment or house.
Modern white building with large windows next to older brick buildings under cloudy sky.
Modern staircase with black steps and metal railings against a white wall.
Empty minimalistic white room with concrete floor and a staircase with black railing and dark wooden steps leading up to a second level, large rectangular window at the top, and a kitchen area with white cabinets and a built-in oven.
Minimalist white kitchen with built-in cabinets, a small sink, and an oven, with a light-colored floor and plain walls.
Empty modern room with large glass sliding door leading to outdoor patio, white walls, and light gray tiled floor.
Minimalist kitchen with white countertops, a stainless steel sink, and a white window blind, featuring an angled ceiling design.
Modern staircase with dark wood steps and metal railing inside a minimalist white room, large windows showing trees outside.
Empty rooftop terrace with large tiled floor, white walls, glass door, and partly cloudy sky.

Type: New built apartment building

Location: Hoboken, Antwerp

Client: Private

Design & built phase: 2009 - 2013

Project status: Delivered

Photographer: Tom Naeyaert | Michael Jacobs

Project brief: Maximalize the building plot, consisting of a garage/warehouse and a vacant plot, with 2 apartments, each with a garage and a courtyard or roof garden

Considering the suburban context of low rise row houses in dark brown bricks, the aim was to create a light and contemporary building, adapting to its surroundings in form but not in presence.

From the streetside, the entrance hall and garage doors form a light plinth, upon which 2 apartments have been built. The 3rd apartmentOperating without the constraints of an existing structure allowed for complete creative freedom in spatial planning. The core design philosophy centers on geometric purity and a bold, monolithic presence within the local streetscape. By utilizing clean architectural lines and an uncompromising, minimalist facade, the building establishes a powerful modern identity while effortlessly integrating multiple residential units under one unified roof.

Inside, the collaboration focused heavily on maximizing spatial efficiency and fostering a fluid, open-plan living experience for each apartment. Expansive windows were strategically positioned to act as massive light catchers, flooding the minimalist interiors with soft, natural daylight throughout the day. Finished with a carefully selected palette of raw, high-end materials that age beautifully, this completed new build stands as a benchmark for refined, light-filled urban apartment living.