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SHIGERU BAN ARCHITECTS BEGINS WORK ON BAN, BELGIUM’S FIRST WOODEN RESIDENTIAL TOWER

The project, which is located in Antwerp, will introduce 295 homes, office spaces, a store and a restaurant in a 25-floor tower and adjoining building.

Shigeru Ban, winner of 2014’s The Pritzker Architecture Prize, which honours the work of an architect that consistently and significantly contributes to humanity and the built environment, showcasing a combination of talent, vision and commitment, teamed up with Triple Living to deliver Belgium’s first wooden residential tower. Triple Living is a familyowned company with years of experience in the construction and development of a wide variety of projects.

S higeru Ban comments: “In my work, I try not to be influenced too much by other people’s work or buildings in the immediate area. I try to do my own thing as much as possible and let my own creativity guide me. In that respect, BAN is probably best viewed as an accumulation of designs I came up with in the past. Every building you design as an architect builds on ideas and learnings from the past. It is the same with this design.”

C ommenting on the key ideas in this design, Shigeru Ban said: “Wood, garden and people. I wanted to create a place where people could unwind. Hence the choice of lots of greenery and the spacious courtyard garden. A green environment promotes relaxing feelings. Nature takes away stress. In Japan, we have a word for that: shinrin-yoku. Unwind by immersing yourself in greenery. At the same time, I also chose a lot of wood accents in the design. This is not only a good choice from an ecological point of view, but it also creates a certain warmth and homeliness, which you expect in a building like this.” www.shigerubanarchitects.com