Louise Marie, Antwerp: 'An optimum in exterior joinery and glazing'

For several months now, Louise Marie has been the new landmark on the Antwerp skyline. The architectural gem with 207 apartments and penthouses, spread over two residential towers, is distinguished by a harmonious interplay of light and glass. The acoustic glass screen of 47 meters high and 22 meters wide, which connects both residential towers in a unique way, is very special. A huge challenge for Aliplast and Vorsselmans, who went to extremes to optimize the exterior joinery technically and acoustically.

Louise Marie is located on the corner of Karel Oomsstraat and Desguinlei. Two stylish residential towers were built on the site of the former children's hospital of the same name, commissioned by CORES Development and designed by POLO Architects. The main objective was to give the Antwerp skyline new élan. But also to maximize living comfort. Both missions have more than succeeded, because this "pearl of light and glass" is a feast for the eyes. Thanks to the imposing windows and overhanging terraces, residents can enjoy panoramic views of the city on the Scheldt and the green inner area with park garden and water features, while the acoustic screen shrouds the apartments and terraces behind in peace and quiet. 

Large dimensions at great heights 

In order to give Louise Marie her intended 'seductive transparency' and at the same time meet all the associated requirements, all techniques were used. It was a job for Aliplast and Vorsselmans, who joined forces in exterior joinery and glazing. "The apartments and penthouses are equipped with Star75 windows and Ultraglide sliding windows with laminated glass," says Els Uvyn, project manager at Aliplast. "Especially the large (sliding) windows of the penthouses on the upper floors, which are up to 3 meters high, required our special attention. The heaviest wind and water loads the buildings have to deal with end up on the largest joinery assemblies, so it took a lot of calculation to get everything right. Large dimensions at great heights also imply thicker and heavier glazing, so it was also important to adjust the hardware accordingly. In addition, of course, the functionality of use was not to suffer, so this all had consequences for the choice of sliding window systems and sashes."

Thermal and acoustic challenges

Acoustics was also a crucial consideration in the selection and placement of the exterior joinery, due to its location on the busy Singel. The glass screen between the two buildings plays a key role in this regard. A major challenge here was also the thermal effect. It was a matter of reconciling the settlements of the screen's concrete structure with those of the buildings, both vertically and horizontally. "Since the screen consists of large glass assemblies and ditto spans and has to be able to absorb substantial wind loads, we worked out a custom extrusion," says Uvyn. "This allowed us to dimension everything correctly and ensure stable anchoring."

100% Made in Belgium

In 38 years, the Belgian company Aliplast has become one of the most important international players in the development and production of aluminum systems for windows, doors, verandas, sliding systems and curtain walls. "What strongly distinguishes Aliplast from many other system suppliers is that everything literally happens under one roof: from idea to mold drawing, from press post to surface treatment and from coating and insulation to transport to our manufacturers," says Marc Mulders, Sales Manager Netherlands at Aliplast. "We paint in Qualicoat Seaside as standard. This means that we stain (double stain) 2 instead of 1 gram of our products as standard, thus applying our powder coating to a cleaner product. This ensures optimal paint quality under all conditions and we can guarantee long warranties of 15 (standard colors) and 25 years (Timeless Colors and Pure Texture). Because we have our own extrusion department, we can also develop specific project solutions. We certainly reaped the benefits of this at project Marie Louise."

Aliplast's total service results in great flexibility and very short delivery times (within 15 working days), Mulders emphasizes. "There are also significant savings on the number of transport movements and associated CO₂-emissions. Our most commonly used system series have Cradle to Cradle Silver certification. This assures processors and end users that these profile series contain no toxic substances, are 100% recyclable and are produced in an energy-efficient way."