THE SKY – Kortrijk

Student Tower THE SKY – Kortrijk
Stadsbader NV realised the student tower THE SKY in Kortrijk on behalf of Hogeschool Vives and project developer ION. The architectural design was developed by Markland (Link lab).

Building and functions
The tower reaches a height of no less than 53 metres, making it one of the tallest buildings in the Kortrijk region. The building comprises a total of 16 floors, of which 12 floors are fitted out with 192 student rooms. Each room is provided with a shared kitchen.
In addition to the student rooms, the building includes various communal facilities. These include a study area with views over the park, a multifunctional space, a co‑working space and a roof terrace. A spacious bicycle storage facility has also been provided, with capacity for 600 bicycles.

Sustainability and campus environment
Sustainability plays a key role within the project. The focus is on de‑paving and greening. An existing car park of 3,500 m² is being transformed into a green space, contributing to a more efficient and attractive campus environment.
In this way, an integrated living environment is created where students can not only live, but also study, relax and exercise.

Planning and completion
The project was executed according to a tight schedule. Structural works started in October 2024 and were completed in October 2025. Completion is scheduled for 2026, allowing the first students to move in just before the start of the 2026–2027 academic year. In the meantime, all rooms have already been rented out.

Structural design
The centrally located stair core, constructed using hollow-core walls, forms the structural backbone of the building together with 350 prefabricated concrete columns. The floor slabs were cast in situ. A total of 180 out of the 250 solid prefabricated walls were ‘hung’ from these floors using fold‑out connection boxes.

Innovative construction methods
To meet the tight planning requirements, several innovative construction methods were applied. The formwork for all openings in the in situ cast floor slabs was prefabricated in the company’s own carpentry workshop using a CNC machine, based on IFC models.
In addition, the horizontal joint of the walls was positioned at the underside of the window openings. As a result, additional fall protection during execution was not required. Specially adapted and reinforced bracing sleeves were designed for this approach and fully worked out in the Tekla Structures model.

Prefabricated bathrooms and reinforcement
The bathrooms were delivered prefabricated per floor and placed on the correct floor level during assembly using the tower crane. All reinforcement to be placed in situ in the concrete topping of the hollow walls was also modelled in the Tekla model and clearly indicated on an assembly plan.

Digital coordination and BIM collaboration
Coordination between the various construction partners took place via Trimble Connect. The 3D models of subcontractors were shared here in the form of IFC models, which could be consulted both in the office and on site.
The coordinated execution model consisted of a total of 37 IFC models, including prefabricated concrete structures, hollow-core walls, filigree floors, steel structures and building services.

Insight into progress and planning
Finally, the status of each element in the ERP system was visually displayed in Trimble Connect using an in‑house developed planning tool. The status—such as drawn, scheduled, produced or transported—was available at any moment during the project’s execution.
This provided everyone involved in the project with continuous insight into the status of each prefabricated element, enabling timely adjustments to be made to the planning where necessary.