PortStarboard

PortStarboard, a work by Luc Deleu & T.O.P. Office from 2022, is a complex steel stairway structure painted bright red and dark green – the classical nautical navigation colours for port (left) and starboard (right). The integrated observation deck and colour-coding of the stairs suggest a clear orientation in space, while at the same time our perception of the sculpture itself is challenged by the unexpected tilting and scale of the two stairs.  

The work was commissioned by the Flemish Architecture Institute as part of the exhibition Future Plans 1970–2020 (2021). It refers to Antwerp as a port city, to the global circulation of goods, and to spatial awareness in an urbanised world. From 2022 until autumn 2025, the sculpture stood on the terrace of De Singel in Antwerp, after which it was given a permanent location along the southern Scheldt quay, where it functions as a viewing platform overlooking the city and the river. 

Luc Deleu (b. 1944) is a Belgian architect and founder of the collective T.O.P. Office. He is known for his critical and playful approach to architecture, urbanism and public space. In his work, the boundaries between art and design blur, as he continually searches for new ways to engage with space and society.