Bargiekaai KU Leuven

Anchored in the landscape, the Bargiekaai project, which consists of two volumes, is the first major construction project within the framework of the new master plan for the Technology Campus of KU Leuven in Ghent. The staircase in the facade of the university building opens up ‘green pockets’ in the building, places that provide an opportunity for informal contact and meeting. Thanks to the logical layout and direct connection to the green landscape, the students are in close contact with the green environment of the Campus located on the Scheldt.

The flexible educational environment of the Bargiekaai is characterized by low thresholds, so that access is guaranteed for everyone, and everyone’s wishes for concentration and meeting are met. The all-round education building has no dead corners or closed plinths. The learning centre is located on the ground floor, this makes it a meeting place for the neighbourhood and offers space for meetings and events outside regular opening hours while offering ‘eyes on the street’ for a large part of the days. The large publicly accessible staircase gives access to the roof floor with the lecture halls, thus creating an urban balcony, a reception area for the auditoriums, and a place to stay between lectures. By focusing not only on the formal spaces, but also on all informal places, an environment is created in which people meet each other, react to each other, and thus tap into new energy.

The building is conceived as a flexible and sustainable structure that can be adapted to the needs of the situation in both the short and long term. This is done by assuming large uninterrupted floors, a clear distinction between shell and built-in, and a neutral grid structure for the facade. The second building volume consists of modern student residences with a lot of natural light.