The Phoebus Foundation (Borentoren)

The Phoebus Foundation, based in Antwerp, Belgium, has embarked on an ambitious project to transform the Boerentoren—the first skyscraper in Europe and nearly 100 years old—into a world-class cultural destination. Spanning approximately 15,000 m², the redeveloped Boerentoren will feature multiple exhibition galleries, retail and dining spaces, cultural events, an outdoor garden, and a panoramic viewing deck. Lord collaborated closely for over a year with the Katoen Natie Group, ION, the Foundation and Libeskind Architects, among other players.

Lord Cultural Resources has played a pivotal role in supporting the Phoebus Foundation through its expert guidance at this critical planning stage, including:

• Clarifying the vision and objectives of the Boerentoren, aligning them with the mixed-use nature of the project.
• Advising on the evolution of the Foundation's goals to reflect its expanded capabilities as a permanent cultural venue, catering to both residents and tourists.
• Optimizing space utilization and visitor flow within the Boerentoren, while defining front-of-house and back-of-house areas through a close, collaborative and iterative process with the client and architectural teams.
• Projecting attendance across the building's diverse experiences, resulting in key insights for Design Day capacity calculations, unique visitor counts, segmentation and mobility impacts.
• Ensuring a sustainable long-term operation by strategically planning for human resource needs, identifying innovative revenue streams and optimizing cost structures for maximum efficiency.

Through these strategic contributions, Lord Cultural Resources is helping to ensure that the Phoebus Foundation achieves its ambitious vision to position the Boerentoren as a must-see cultural destination and landmark in Europe.