The Flemish government has chosen Christ & Gantenbein and Bovenbouw Architectuur to design a new museum of contemporary art in Antwerp, Belgium. The Swiss and Belgian offices respectively won a competition backed by the Flemish Ministry of Culture which gathered entries from high profile firms around the world. The Flemish Ministry of Culture shortlisted six teams in the competition last year to redesign theMuseum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA): Bovenbouw Architectuur and Christ & Gantenbein; DRDH Architects and Jamie Fobert Architects; noAarchitecten, EM2N Architekten, and Sergison Bates Architects; OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen and SO IL; Robbrecht en Daem architecten, Dierendonckblancke architecten, and Laura Muyldermans; Studio Nauta, and Feilden Fowles Architects.The building will be faced with a corrugated metal material. ( Filippo Bolognese)Bovenbouw Architectuur and Christ & Gantenbein ultimately came out on top. The architects described their winning preliminary design as a tower volume with a stepped arrangement of distinct yet clearly recognizable parts. Renderings show a facade made of a corrugated metal with geometric apertures that puncture the volume in various locations. M HKA is written in bold, white letters across the top of the building, much like the oversized branding that wraps the exterior of its current location.Like other iconic towers in the city, the team added, this layered structure fosters interconnectivity and complexity. It aims to foster community engagement and encourage visitors to embrace the space as their own adding value to the urban context and broader social framework. While marking a fresh chapter, the new building remains rooted in M HKAs evolving institutional identity.Volumes will cantilever out over the street. ( Filippo Bolognese)M HKA is currently located at a complex in Antwerps Leuvenstraat that was renovated from a grain storage facility into a museum by Michel Grandsard in the 1980s. Recent assessments have determined the existing M HKA complex falls short of museum standard requirements, posing significant operational challenges, thus necessitating a new purpose-built home. The future M HKA will be located atop the current site of a court building in Antwerps Waalsekaai Street, a prominent arts area. It will be a key link between the Scheldt quays and Zuidpark, and anchor the burgeoning cultural district of Het Zuid.M HKAs new purpose-built home will be almost 200,000 square feet and rise up several stories. It will have extensive exhibition and multi-purpose spaces with stunning views of the Scheldt River and Zuidpark. The architects prioritized adaptability and multifunctionality in the design.A sequence of highly adaptable ultra-flexible exhibition spaces will seamlessly integrate exhibitions, performances, education, and artistic production. ( Filippo Bolognese)Visitors will enter the new M HKA through a porous open lobby, Bovenbouw Architectuur and Christ & Gantenbein said. The ground floor will have a cafe and social areas, and connect guests to a cinema and auditorium. There will also be generous public terraces interspersed throughout the building.Bart De Baere, M HKA director, said the team hopes to complete the project by 2031.