The Resident Sustainable working in HaZee

HaZee, a powerful collaboration

The new-build project at Ostend station is a collaboration between architectural firms A1AR and ARQ architecten.

Sustainable working in HaZee

When A1AR architects & more signed for the HaZee project in Ostend’s station neighborhood, it was love at first sight. So much so that they decided to move in themselves. “We have never regretted that decision for a moment,” says Founder and Architect Jozef Hessel. “Since our move, just about everyone comes by public transportation or bike.” — What context did you use to

design HaZee?

Jozef: “HAZee has a unique location. Over the years, the City of Ostend has strongly focused on inner-city development, and its current focus is on a new sustainable train station neighborhood. Something like this is not always easy. Helping to shape a station neighborhood is an extraordinary assignment for us. This is sometimes complicated by the diversity of functions in the project. We see this more as a challenge rather than a problem. For instance, we decided to incorporate part of the street into the design.”

— Why did you move with A1AR? Jozef: “We almost immediately reached an unspoken decision to take up residence in HaZee. Our former offices were in an industrial area in Ostend, which was much harder to reach by public transport. “HaZee is near

In 2015, Jozef Hessel founded the architectural firm A1AR together with Kenneth Sleuyter, Jozef graduated from LUCA School of Arts in 2008 with a Master’s in Architecture and Urban Design.

'We view problems as challenges. How can we get a mixture of different aspects to work together perfectly?

— Jozef Hessel, Architect and Founder of A1AR

HaZee, a powerful collaboration

The new-build project at Ostend station is a collaboration between architectural firms A1AR and ARQ architecten.

For Managing Director Kenneth Sleuyter, every challenge is an excellent start to a fascinating process. HaZee is a perfect example of this. the train station, and since our move, just about everyone arrives by public transportation or bike. By moving the office to the city center, the connection with our second office in Ghent has also improved. Other than the location, the project’s vision is also key. With A1AR, we want to play the card of quality and sustainability, but in our former building, we didn’t get the right gut feeling.”

— Does HaZee have any other advantages

for you as an agency?

Jozef: “We wanted to tap into a sustainable environment where our employees feel good too. We know from experience that entirely focusing on work is difficult these days because we are constantly multitasking. With our new office, we want to make a commitment to a powerful team. At A1AR, we work according to the people-planet-profit principle. The initial intention was to invest in our own people, then in the planet. Once that is done, profit becomes a matter of course. Apart from choosing to create a better workplace for our own employees, we also want to make our mark and help to shape the station neighborhood’s development.” — Just what is your definition of

architecture, and how is this reflected in this project?

Jozef: “We see architecture as the interpretation of a sustainable society. Our designs require a 24/7 connection with the environment. HaZee is an example of that It is not a given that people can walk or bike across a private site. That added experience makes the site one of the city’s many welcoming places. That way, you can create a project that will help to shape urban planning even further.”