Banimmo Sells Networks Gent Atmos Campus to HOGENT to Reduce Debt

Ghent (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – 14 October 2026 – Belgian real estate developer Banimmo has completed the sale of its NETWORKS Gent Atmos campus at The Loop in Ghent to HOGENT, following the signing of the notarial deed on 14 October. The approximately 16,000-square-metre complex comprises five buildings and will accommodate part of HOGENT’s educational activities. Banimmo expects the transaction to contribute positively to its 2026 financial results and further reduce its debt ratio. The sale follows earlier negotiations announced in September and forms part of the company’s wider development activities at The Loop.

Banimmo Completes Sale of NETWORKS Gent Atmos Campus

Banimmo confirmed on 14 October that it had finalised the sale of the NETWORKS Gent Atmos complex to HOGENT, a higher education institution based in Ghent. The transaction was formalised through the signing of the notarial deed, completing a process that the property developer had publicly disclosed in September.

The campus is situated at The Loop, a developing business and commercial district in Ghent, Belgium. It comprises five buildings named Tropos, Mesos, Stratos, Exos and Ionos, alongside parking facilities. The complex provides approximately 16,000 square metres of floor space.

According to Banimmo’s announcement, HOGENT intends to accommodate part of its educational activities at the site. Its arrival will bring business and information technology courses to the campus, alongside the institution’s E-lab for entrepreneurship.

The transaction also has a financial significance for Banimmo. Chief executive Laurent Calonne said the sale would contribute positively to the company’s results for the 2026 financial year and considerably lower its debt ratio.

The company described the transaction as a foundation for its future development activities. However, the announcement did not disclose the sale price or provide a precise estimate of the resulting reduction in indebtedness.

How Will the Campus Support HOGENT’s Educational Activities?

HOGENT plans to use the campus to accommodate part of its teaching activities, including programmes in business and information technology. The institution’s E-lab for entrepreneurship is also expected to form part of its presence at the location.

Banimmo said HOGENT’s arrival would strengthen the existing NETWORKS Campus concept, which was developed to provide a working environment for businesses, spin-offs and research companies.

The addition of educational activities is intended to complement the existing business-oriented environment. The campus will therefore bring together academic programmes and an established concept designed around companies, research and entrepreneurship.

Banimmo’s announcement stated that HOGENT could eventually accommodate up to 5,000 students at the site. The figure describes the anticipated longer-term capacity associated with the institution’s presence rather than confirming that 5,000 students will occupy the campus immediately.

The planned use of the complex represents a change from its original positioning as an office development. In September, Banimmo disclosed that the sale was subject to outstanding conditions, including the necessary steps to permit educational activities at the site.

On 24 September, the Ghent municipal executive took note of the report from a project meeting concerning the proposed change of use. Banimmo identified that step as one of the suspensive conditions for the transaction.

The subsequent completion of the sale on 14 October confirmed that the parties had proceeded with the transfer.

What Are the Main Features of the NETWORKS Gent Atmos Development?

The NETWORKS Gent Atmos campus consists of five buildings arranged as part of Banimmo’s wider development at The Loop. The project was delivered on 9 February 2026, according to the developer’s announcement.

Its total floor area is approximately 16,000 square metres, with parking facilities included in the complex. The individual buildings are named Tropos, Mesos, Stratos, Exos and Ionos.

The development was designed around sustainability standards. Banimmo reported that the campus had obtained BREEAM Outstanding certification and was aligned with the European Union’s taxonomy framework for environmentally sustainable economic activities.

BREEAM is a building sustainability assessment and certification system used to evaluate environmental performance. The Outstanding rating is its highest standard classification under the relevant assessment schemes.

The EU taxonomy, meanwhile, provides a framework for classifying economic activities according to environmental sustainability criteria. Alignment with the framework is distinct from a general claim that a building has no environmental impact.

Banimmo identified the campus’s sustainability credentials as an important feature of the project. Its September announcement said the development’s sustainability performance had contributed to HOGENT’s interest in acquiring the site.

The complex forms part of a wider group of properties developed by Banimmo at The Loop. The company has previously developed offices for Deloitte and the Flemish Environment Agency, as well as the NETWORKS Gent ONE and TWO buildings, which were delivered in 2021.

The Atmos development added another component to the company’s presence at the location before its transfer to HOGENT.

Why Is the Sale Important for Banimmo’s Debt Reduction Plans?

The sale is significant for Banimmo because the company has identified debt reduction as one of the financial benefits of disposing of the campus.

In its 14 October announcement, chief executive Laurent Calonne said the transaction would make a positive contribution to the 2026 financial year and reduce the debt ratio further. He described the expected outcome as providing a solid basis for future developments.

The sale follows another substantial property disposal completed earlier in 2026. On 29 April, Banimmo finalised the sale of the new headquarters of Farys, the Belgian water utility, at The Loop in Ghent. The reported sale price was €47.75 million, excluding value added tax.

Banimmo’s half-year results, published on 20 August, showed a net profit of €8.2 million for the first six months of 2026, compared with a loss of €2 million in the same period of 2025. The company attributed the improvement principally to the sale of the Farys headquarters.

Its net debt ratio had fallen to 41.3% at 30 June 2026, compared with 52.2% at 31 December 2025. These figures relate to the period before the completion of the NETWORKS Gent Atmos sale and should not be interpreted as the company’s debt ratio following the latest transaction.

Banimmo also reported rental income of €3.8 million for the first half of 2026, representing a 3.6% increase compared with €3.7 million in the corresponding period of 2025.

The company’s half-year statement noted that the commercialisation of NETWORKS Gent Atmos had progressed more slowly than originally anticipated. At the same time, Banimmo reported increased activity in the rental and sales markets compared with the end of 2025.

The sale to HOGENT resolves the ownership of the Atmos complex through a completed transaction. Banimmo has not yet published a post-sale financial statement quantifying the precise effect of this disposal on its debt ratio.

What Other Developments Is Banimmo Planning at The Loop?

Although Banimmo has transferred ownership of NETWORKS Gent Atmos, it intends to continue pursuing other property development opportunities at The Loop.

The company said it remained committed to supporting an innovative and entrepreneurial environment at the site. Its disclosed development pipeline includes studies for a retail complex and a hotel, alongside planning work for a predominantly residential area.

For Veld 12 Oost, Banimmo reported studies for a retail development covering approximately 22,000 square metres and a hotel project of around 5,000 square metres.

These projects were described as being under study. The announcement did not establish that construction had begun or that final development approvals had been secured.

The company is also participating in the preparation of a development and visual-quality plan for Veld 11. The proposed area would be primarily residential, with between 300 and 400 housing units envisaged in the planning work.

The plans form part of Banimmo’s continuing activity at The Loop following its earlier developments and the sale of the Farys headquarters.

The company has previously developed office buildings at the location and has continued to examine opportunities across different property categories. The Atmos transaction changes the ownership of one completed campus, while the disclosed retail, hotel and residential proposals concern separate development sites.

Banimmo has not stated that the proceeds from the Atmos sale will be allocated exclusively to any particular one of these proposed projects. Its announcement instead linked the transaction’s expected financial contribution and debt reduction to the company’s broader capacity to undertake future developments.

How Did the HOGENT Acquisition Process Progress?

Banimmo publicly disclosed advanced negotiations with HOGENT on 24 September 2026. At that stage, the transaction remained conditional and the transfer was expected during the fourth quarter of the year.

The announcement explained that HOGENT wanted to accommodate part of its educational activities at NETWORKS Gent Atmos. It also noted that the campus’s sustainability credentials had helped generate interest in the acquisition.

The municipal process was another important element. The Ghent municipal executive took note of a project-meeting report concerning a proposed change of use to permit educational activities at the complex. Banimmo identified that development as one of the conditions required for the sale.

At the time of the September announcement, due diligence was in its final phase, but several conditions still had to be satisfied. The company said the transfer was expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The signing of the notarial deed on 14 October brought the transaction to completion within that announced period.

The final announcement confirmed the transfer to HOGENT and reiterated the intended educational use of the campus. It also highlighted the potential presence of up to 5,000 students over time and the expected contribution to the activity of the wider site.

The two announcements therefore mark distinct stages in the same transaction: advanced negotiations and outstanding conditions in September, followed by the formalised sale in October.

What Is Banimmo’s Background in Belgian Property Development?

Banimmo is a Belgian real estate developer listed on Euronext since 2007. According to the company, it has more than 30 years of experience in property development and a development potential of approximately 280,000 square metres of floor space.

The company’s activities include developing and managing property assets, with The Loop in Ghent forming an important part of its development portfolio.

The site has accommodated a range of office developments, including NETWORKS Gent ONE and TWO, the Atmos campus and the new Farys headquarters. The latter was sold in April 2026, while Atmos was transferred to HOGENT in October.

Banimmo’s annual results for 2025 reported a net debt ratio of 52.2% at the end of December. The company’s subsequent half-year results documented a reduction to 41.3% at the end of June 2026, following the Farys transaction.