- Architecture & development
Just a stone's throw away from the Ghent Sint-Pieters railway station, along Amelia Earhartlaan, the project The Loop 5 will give new meaning to the currently undeveloped site. The Loop 5 is a total project for Upgrade Estate, carried out by Bontinck Architecture and Engineering.
The project comprises a unique building complex consisting of four volumes on top of a plinth, with the main purpose of providing offices and short-stay flats. The complex also includes a ground floor and underground parking garage. The four building volumes are inserted crosswise into the landscape according to a honeycomb pattern. The ordered, but also seemingly playful implantation forms a transition between the organic infill of the opposite Field 01 and the more urban infill of the core area of The Loop. The idea of interweaving forms the basis of the honeycomb pattern in which the volumes are implanted. The volume and shape of the buildings are a direct derivative of the hexagons from the honeycomb pattern. These different polyhedra and derived forms all speak the same language of form. Through their geometry, they enter into dialogue with each other and with the surrounding buildings. 
The office-like volumes feature rounded, soft corners, while the residential building subtly distinguishes itself through its right angles. Thanks to the faceted façade surfaces of the hexagonal volumes, they naturally acquire changing colour tones. This is reinforced by providing the façades with a glazed ceramic finish. The two buildings at the far ends of the site are filled with modern, office-like floors. The spacious, high, open plateaus allow for flexible infill of various sizes and shapes. All types of office-like work are thus possible.
The volume and shape of the buildings are a direct derivative of the hexagons from the honeycomb pattern.
Between the two volumes there are two other buildings, namely a residential volume and a multifunctional meeting hub. This is a smaller volume that serves as a central meeting place, not coincidentally since it is located in the middle of the site. It contains an auditorium with an accompanying reception area. Hidden on the ground floor is a logistics floor that connects all the buildings functionally and technically. An additional plus point is the lush landscape garden that is partially laid out on the roof of the logistics floor and partially on the roof of the underground car park. 
In short, at Bontinck Architecture & Engineering everything is timeless, positive and sustainable with a great social added value as common thread through all their projects. Thanks to a close team of employees, this family business creates beautiful realizations in various disciplines. We will keep an eye on them for more projects in the future.
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All images made by Nanopixel and courtesy of Upgrade Estate