Architecture studio Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen designed the new Tim Van Laere Gallery in Antwerp as five raw concrete boxes with pink shuttered doors.
The Belgian studio built the 1,000-square-metre gallery for collector Tim Van Laere, who previously showed his collection in the ground floor of a townhouse.

Marked only by pink doors ? the collector's signature colour ? and simple typography, the gallery currently sits amid the construction of Antwerp's Nieuw Zuid development.
"The new district, a lively part of the city, needs a difficult, unruly centre: a soul," said Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen. "Our building is simple and 'in your face'."

The concrete was been given a pastel hue, which gives it a slightly warm appearance, and then left untreated after casting. Steel shutters cover the glazed entrances into each block, with Van Laere's signature pink visible on the outside when the steel shutters are closed. The insides of the shutters are painted white, and are visible when they're opened up.

Each volume is conceived of as a concrete box, lit from above by roof lights. The five blocks, while connected, each cater for a distinct purpose: storage, workspace, exhibition space, and a patio.
At the centre is the double-height office space, comprising a reception area, workspaces, meeting rooms and a small room for exhibiting emerging artists.

Both the tiled patio and the roof of the storage block serve as an external space for...