The ING Bank’s headquarters is in the historical city of Ghent, Belgium. The building’s façade is clad in FİBRODEKOR® which renders a symbolic look to the bank.

This project is on the old railroads that are adjacent to the Gent-Sint-Pieters train station. This area has been restored. The Asymptote Architecture aimed at making this building one of the city’s icons and was inspired by Ghent’s symbolic Gothic buildings as well as the lace embroidery and stone and diamond cutting history of the region.

In this respect, the building sits on a rock-like base and has a crystal-like form. The building is in one of the busiest parts of the city and is a pioneer in the construction materials and techniques.

The Contemporary Interpretation of History

A more massive and articulated tectonic form faces the adjacent avenue; whereas, the side which opens up to the public space has a transparent glass façade.

“The designer interpreted the city’s historic texture with the materials and techniques of the 21. century. Our glass fiber reinforced concrete panels (FİBRODEKOR®) built the shell of the building, making it resistant, aesthetically appropriate and cost effective.”

Different Moulds, Sensitively Solved Detail Problems

We constructed different mould types for the panels which were digitally sketched in 3D. We used polyester moulds for the modular plain panels and the façade lining. We used rubber and expanded foam moulds for the amorphous canopies and façade linings. The installation details had to be hidden. The façades consisted of three layers, namely, the main steel structure, glass, and GRC / GFRC shell. We developed different methods to bind these layers to each other. We added small triangular lids to the panels that harmonized with the façade’s dynamic form but also hid the binding points. We harmonized the different construction materials as well as straight and amorphous forms. The absence of joinery between glass surfaces and GRC / GFRC panels gave the whole façade a holistic look.