On April 20th, the MG Tower opens its doors. The highest tower of Ghent, 119 meters high with 27 floors, is an ever present silhouet in the Ghent setting. VK engineered the building services, the structural and infrastructure study of this remarkable project. The MG Tower, a design by Jaspers-Eyers, most certainly fulfills its landmark-function. Rising along the E40 motorway, the slender tower is visible from from far and wide. With this project, Ghent now gets a fifth tower, along with the 4 towers in the historical center. The MG Tower is also the forerunner of a number of urban interventions that will change the look of Ghent in the following years. Other major construction projects in the city include the new soccer stadium, the Walloon Crease, the offices district with Flemish Administrative Center near the Saint-Peter's Station, and the renovation of the University Library, a building by Henry Van de Velde and an important reference in modernist architecture  -  all of them projects where VK contributes with regard to engineering.

The Arteveldestadium in Ghent, the new home base for soccer club AA Gent, is under construction. Nearby the exit for the University Hospital, on the interchange of the motorways E40 and E17, the 4 stands are clearly visible. VK engineered the building services and structural study of this project, a design by Bontinck Architecture & Engineering. The new stadium offers room for 20,000 supporters and houses advanced and sustainable technology. For example, the rainwater is collected for sprinkling the field and for sanitary use, where water-efficient appliances will be installed. Also with regard to ventilation and lighting, energy-efficient solutions have been designed. Besides the stadium, the site will contain 14,000 sq. m of office space, 9,000 sq. m of retail space and a hotel with 260 rooms. The stadium is to be ready for the kick-off of the season 2012-2013.

After the central therapy building, a new VK-realisation has been opened on the campus of the mental health clinic Asster. This building will primarily treat patients with fears and depression. The Lyre, as the building is called, consists of 4 departments with 60 patients in total, that suffer from fears and depression. The patients in these departments have submitted themselves or have done so on request of their family, or have been referred by their family doctor. The campus really needed a building for this treatment, and the management foreseees a further rise in patients with the economic recession. The hospital wants to lower the threshold for admission. So VK has designed a building that reflects this philosophy: large and colorful glazing, with large and open spaces deviate from the traditional image of a mental health clinic. Furthermore, the relation between interior and exterior and the visual link between all elements makes the building more accessible.

VK recently won an architecture competition for a care campus in Zedelgem. The entire campus, with 72 assisted houses and 130 beds, should be completed by 2020. Construction starts at the end of this year. The care campus will offer diversified care: assisted housing, senior home, a day care center and a center for short stay. The campus will be completed with a cultural center and crèche, creating a lively mix and social cohesion. The volumes will set in a park with various views and possibilities of accessibility.

Brussels has a new hotel. The Thon Hotel EU, designed by Altiplan, opened its doors. VK was the structural engineer for the project. Actually, the Thon Hotel EU, with 405 rooms and 31 apartments, is a conversion of 4 office buildings in the rue de la Loi. The conversion demanded some major structural adaptations, such as reinforcing the foundations, demolishing several elements, but also adding new floors and a mezzanine. This conversion and mix of functions, as the ground floor will house shops, will revitalise a district that mainly houses offices.