Flanders Make Kortrijk
Nearly energy-neutral (BEN) building for Flanders Make
The pinnacle of technology
The pinnacle of technology is located in Kortrijk: Flanders Make, the new strategic research and innovation centre for the manufacturing industry. Housed in a timeless building, beautifully designed by Jaspers-Eyers Architects and sustainably developed by our construction division in collaboration with ION. In terms of architecture and technology, it’s a future-proof statement.
Since the opening of the Flanders Make co-creation centre in autumn 2023, the building has been buzzing with activity. Organisations developing production systems, machinery, or process software have the opportunity to test innovative technologies and processes here.
Stadsbader, together with ION, was responsible for this Design & Build project, including sustainable injection. The result is a nearly energy-neutral (BEN) building.
Sustainably Innovative
What you see on this innovation site is a compact, three-dimensional building with horizontally layered architecture, where all functions are stacked and organised to create strong interconnections. Symbolically, this can be seen as a representation of the new era of Industry 5.0, with the human being at the heart of the technology story. The building offers glimpses between different spaces, and the open, transparent façade, with plenty of natural light, is fully oriented towards the inner courtyard. There was a deliberate use of large spans and peripheral column supports to create adaptable zones.
The look and feel are remarkable, and so are the sustainable technologies. The bar was set high: heat pumps combined with geothermal energy, LED lighting, solar panels, high-efficiency glass, climate ceilings, ventilation system D, rainwater recovery, and charging points for electric vehicles. The entire structure offers flexibility with growth scenarios in mind.
The building spans 6,000 m², making it the largest complex of Flanders Make, which also has branches in Leuven, Lommel, and Sint-Truiden, as well as laboratories at all Flemish universities. At Stadsbader, we are particularly proud of this achievement, which excels in terms of sustainable innovation! It is located in a dynamic region that combines various areas of expertise, with the University of Ghent just a stone’s throw away and the best gaming school in the world on the same site. Tomorrow begins here.
