Antwerp City Hall is one of the important icons of the Flemish Renaissance. The building was in urgent need of renovation. The city council wanted to keep the city hall as the seat of power. This called for a radical transformation that would make the city hall ready for the needs of the twenty-first century. HUB and Origin were responsible for the design. While the Bel Etage has been restored in all its glory, the upper floors, thanks to a distinctly contemporary addition of two vestibules, have been radically transformed into the ‘Illuminated Floor’.

The book brings extensive photographic coverage of the renovation works and the renovated building, and delves into the complex relationship between design and restoration. The ‘Construction site stories’ pays tribute to the many expertises and crafts that have come together in this extensive restoration project.

The book is published in Dutch with an English translation.