ING Headquarters

The architectural concept was influenced by the beauty of Ghent's revered gothic buildings and the region's rich tradition of lace making as well as stone and diamond cutting. Building on this history, a conceptual process of carving the architectural massing resulted in a stone-like base supporting a multi-storey crystalline volume above.

The urban design guidelines called for an articulated solid tectonic form on the street side of the site while specifying glass façades with minimal articulation on the public plaza side. As such, the enclosure wrapping the base of the building transitions from solidity to transparency, from intricate relief patterning facing the street to a more subtle and smooth expression facing the plaza.

For the street elevation, a system of modular GFRC panels was designed using advanced computer scripting, creating a an economical but solid and dynamic pattern that is inspired by the tradition of architecture and design in Ghent, yet realized through 21st century materials and techniques.

While the transparency provided by the fritted glass enclosure of the upper portion creates premium space for the bank tenant, the openness of the lobby level also brings transparency at street level. A new public space flows through the site and accommodates the program of café and exhibition space.

Asymptote produced a series of physical models to explore various design approaches to convey unique design appereance of the building

Due for completion in mid-2019, the videos below show construction progress. Inspired by the past, the ING HQ architecture is a sensitive urban response to the surrounding context that puts forward a new architectural language for the Ghent of today and that of the future.