Located on the banks of the Congo, the Riverside Tower raises a question of “point of view” understood in the geographical sense of the term. To the south, beyond the immense stretch of water, the horizon is studded by the roofs of Kinshasa. Reciprocally, from the river banks on the Kinshasa side, it will be one of the most visible, and representative, buildings on the opposite shore. Our project is designed to illustrate these reciprocal gazes.

On the one hand, a simple yet original shape creating a characteristic outline in the sky for spectators located on the opposite bank; on the other, a series of long balconies, developing their curves like a serpentine theatre turned towards the majesty of nature. The result is an entirely white, sculptural building with pure, stretched lines, which creates a forum oriented towards the river.

The building combines a leisure complex, containing a swimming pool, a cinema multiplex and a bowling alley, with residential units and offices.

The Riverside Tower is inspired by modern seaside architecture. With its wide balconies, which host planted terraces featuring a combination of minerals and flora on every floor, the building recalls the spirit of the great seaside residences built in the 1970s by the architect André Minangoy. While the horizontal lines are candid and clean, they nevertheless languorously interweave to create breathtaking visual effects. There are no vertical lines properly so called other than the outline of the building itself.

The history of this tiered style, largely developed in a holiday residence context, goes back to the hygienist architecture of the early 20th century; in reality, its origins are to be found in the construction of sanatoria, in which easy access to the “great outdoors” was highly recommended.