Project Description

The building has a footprint of 780 sq m and is a single, elongated urban structure, 68.7m long and 12.8m wide. It has four above-ground floors and an underground parking level for bicycles and cars. It is centrally located on the site, in line with the other buildings already constructed on field 7. It is the final addition to this field. Access to the parking garage is directly via Pauline Van Pottelsberghelaan, which will also be extended with this application and will have a new connection to Louis Blériotlaan.

The building contains 89 rooms and is intended for short-term accommodation in the form of room-based accommodations. Consequently, the program falls under Appendix 3, Category 2, of the Flemish Accommodation Decree.

In line with the other buildings adjacent to field 7, the design is based on a simple rectangular volume. In the quest to optimize the relationship between the building and the outdoor space, the building was chosen to be elongated and narrow, leaving room for a high-quality green outdoor area along the building’s perimeter.

To further expand this green outdoor space and enhance the relationship with it, the building’s central section was further narrowed by a recess in the facade. This narrowing is located only along the side facing Pauline van Pottelsberghelaan, thus accentuating the building’s address and entrance. Along the side facing Louis Blériotlaan, the strong linearity of the robust, longitudinal facade is retained, allowing the building to stand out from the adjacent three-lane road.

The division of the facade into three sections is cleverly used to achieve a clean floor plan, with the communal areas of the building housed in the narrowed central zone and the individual rooms in the two wide end zones. This way, the rooms are evenly distributed along both sides of the communal areas, keeping internal walking distances to a minimum. Combined with the central corridor, which runs in a straight line from one end of the building past the rooms and communal area to the other, a clearly legible floor plan is created. This is especially desirable for a building intended for short-stay use.

At the end of the central corridor, two steel external staircases have been installed at the ends of the building, analogous to New York facades, serving as emergency escapes. To architecturally align these external staircases with the rest of the building and to enhance the gable end as a full-fledged facade, the staircases are finished in the same gold hue used throughout the building as an accent color.

As communal spaces in the central zone of the building, large lounge and relaxation areas are provided on each floor, where guests can use communal cooking, dining, and relaxation facilities. At these communal areas, the central corridor connecting all the rooms becomes an outdoor walkway that can be used as a communal terrace. However, it remains possible to circulate from one side of the building to the other via the communal areas.

On the ground floor, the left-hand zone contains 14 rooms and the right-hand zone contains 3 rooms, the entrance to the underground parking garage, a technical room, and a back-office area. The three upper floors are identical and each accommodate 24 rooms, resulting in a total of 89 rooms.

The building has a robust, urban appearance by using reclaimed brick. This allows the building to blend architecturally with both the current and future character of the surrounding area, “The Loop.” The use of brick also better reflects the building’s aesthetic, which, unlike the adjacent offices, is short-term. To further emphasize the building’s horizontality, vertical brickwork bands break up the large façade surfaces on each floor. These brickwork bands are crowned with a gold border that, like the gold roofline, runs around the building. Gold is used as an accent color throughout the project and is consistently applied to all elements that deserve to be highlighted, such as the walkways, parapets, windows, and escape stairs.

A window design was developed for the rooms, which can be applied to any room. Through consistent repetition throughout the entire building, a sleek façade rhythm and a calm, homely feel are achieved. The emphasis is on calm repetition rather than busy playfulness; the homely feel strives for a sense of security and comfort. The openness of the windows, which can actually be opened, plays on the connection with the adjacent garden.

This repetition is subtly interrupted in the central area containing the communal spaces, where the windows expand into open loggias on the side of Louis Blériotlaan and large façade openings on the side of the walkways.

To accentuate the building’s plinth, the ground floor has a higher ceiling height with floor-to-ceiling windows. This allows for the rooms to be fitted with a mezzanine, if desired.

At the entrance area on the ground floor, the rhythm of the windows is broken and replaced by a pair of large windows that, further enhanced by a cantilevered canopy, accentuate the entrance. This increased openness to the reception area and the communal space aims to entice visitors inside, but also to build a relationship with the garden area, further encouraging residents to use the green spaces collectively and foster a true sense of community.

Visualizations by Nanopixel BV on behalf of Upkot, Upgrade Estate and Wing Upkot.