Office building, Hasselt

In recent years, the 70,000-strong city of Hasselt has cultivated the image of a trendy shopping town with the accent on fashion and design. From now on, however, it is also hoping to distinguish itself architecturally. The 45,000-square-metre station precinct is currently being revamped to an ambitious plan by Dutch landscape architects West 8, which includes a park, 1000 parking spaces and two striking towers.

One of those towers was designed by Berlin-based J. Mayer H. in collaboration with two Belgian firms, a2o architecten and LENS°ASS. The transparent structure comprising two organic volumes – a six-storey horizontal base topped by a nine-storey tower – will in due course become a point of reference in the Hasselt skyline.

The three practices incorporated various references to the history of Hasselt and Belgium into the building. The steel construction alludes to the industrial history of the site while the whimsical form is a nod in the direction of Belgium's art nouveau tradition. Glazed facades will be provided with solar shading where necessary. The structure will be clad on the outside with stone, and inside with wood.

Construction is expected to start in mid-2007, once the first phase of the spatial masterplan has been realized.