Success Story
WinterCircus
A Historic Icon Reinvented Through Smart Technology
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WinterCircus
Discover how Trigrr’s Building Operating System (BOS) powers the rebirth of Ghent’s Wintercircus: a multifunctional tech and culture hub where automation, energy efficiency and AI-driven operations come together.
A 15,000 m² Building Reborn in the Heart of Ghent
In the center of Ghent (Belgium) stands the Wintercircus — a stone-built monument with a story as layered as its structure. Once a literal circus, then a car garage, the building has now been completely reimagined as a mixed-use innovation campus and cultural venue. “It is a real stone circus that has been transformed into a technology campus in recent years,” explains Louis Jonckheere, co-founder and CEO of the Wintercircus project.
Spanning 15,000 square meters, the site combines private workspaces, restaurants, meeting and event spaces, and even a concert hall. The ambition? To create a place where creative, technological and social energies converge. “On the one hand, it’s a community for the tech sector. On the other, it’s a public space with a square and several restaurants.”
This dual identity brought with it not only opportunities, but also operational complexity — from energy management to user access, to the fluid reconfiguration of space.
Multiple Stakeholders, One Operating Platform
“The Wintercircus is a very complex building,” says Emiel De Smet, head of IT and Operations. “We have different entities, different partners, and very different kinds of people walking around.”
Each user — whether coworker, restaurant operator, event organizer or visitor — interacts with the building differently. This requires a system that can manage zones, access rights, lifts, lighting, Audio, Video, and HVAC in a granular yet intuitive way. “You need the right software to assign the right roles to the right people,” Emiel emphasizes.
This is where Trigrr’s Building Operating System (BOS) proved instrumental. It provides a unified interface for managing all smart systems across the building — and does so in a way that’s scalable, intuitive, and role-specific.
The Brain Behind the Building
Trigrr’s Building Operating System (BOS) was chosen as the central digital layer to manage this unique project. As explained by Jean-Michel Verhulst, CEO of Trigrr: “Trigrr is a platform that allows both the management of the venues and the control of occupancy in a completely intuitive way on a daily basis.”
Unlike traditional BMS platforms, which are often siloed and require expert intervention, Trigrr offers a no-code, visual interface that puts power in the hands of both technical teams and end users.
“We were happy to be around the table to bring this solution, which would be able to evolve with the expectations of different users — in terms of energy and operational efficiency.”
With Trigrr, Wintercircus operational team can:
- Assign specific permissions and roles to different users
- Control HVAC, lighting, lifts, audio, video and access on each floor
- Adapt spaces dynamically depending on occupancy or events
- Manage energy usage intelligently
- Enable remote monitoring and troubleshooting
Trigrr effectively turns building operations into a service — flexible, visual, and data-driven.
Operational Simplicity Means Better Focus on Tenants and Guests
For Thomas Depraetere, manager of the restaurants Bassie and Tribune located in the Wintercircus, Trigrr’s impact is direct and tangible:“With Trigrr, we can manage lighting, lifts, heating, and more ourselves. That means fewer phone calls, less waiting, and more time for our customers.”
This level of autonomy is critical in a dynamic space like Wintercircus. Tenants can personalize their zones while the central team retains oversight and security.
Emiel De Smet, IT & Operations at Wintercircus notes the importance of this balance: “Without Trigrr, my job would be much more difficult. I’d have to manage different systems, learn different platforms. Now everything runs through one consistent, reliable interface.”
The result is improved comfort, better tenant satisfaction, and greater operational efficiency — all without increasing workload or complexity.
From Passive Savings to Active Building Intelligence
One major focus for the Wintercircus team was energy optimization. “Energy efficiency was extremely important to us,” says Louis Jonckheere, who adds that Trigrr enables the site to proactively reduce consumption. Meeting rooms that aren’t booked? Trigrr ensures all system are switched off.
“When rooms are not in use, the televisions are turned off, the heating is turned down, and the lights are switched off.”
This automation not only lowers the carbon footprint, it also strengthens the Wintercircus's position as a forward-thinking, ESG-aligned development — an increasingly vital factor for asset managers across Europe.
AI & the Future of Smart Buildings
The Wintercircus team began exploring the combination of AI with Trigrr’s platform. The goal: move from responsive building management to predictive intelligence.
“The combination of AI and Trigrr should actually allow for even more automation,” says Louis Jonckheere, co-founder and CEO of Wintercicus. “So that it informs us even better about which flows we can set up to improve the user experience.”
This includes recommendations on how to optimize energy use, space allocation, and user comfort — without human input. AI-driven automation also helps anticipate maintenance needs and adapt spaces to real-time behavior patterns.
“I think AI can provide an incredible amount of input and value in this area in the future.” Trigrr’s architecture is built for this kind of evolution. The platform supports integrations that make it future-proof, allowing asset managers to scale or adapt logic over time — without redoing infrastructure.
“We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible." enthuses Louis Jonckheere
The Wintercircus in Ghent exemplifies how legacy buildings can meet 21st-century expectations through smart transformation. By combining architectural vision, cultural purpose, and cutting-edge technology, it becomes more than just a place — it becomes an experience.
Trigrr’s BOS is central to this reinvention. It enables a complex, multi-user site to function as one cohesive ecosystem: intuitive for tenants, flexible for operators, and insightful for asset owners.
For property owners across Europe seeking to combine ESG priorities, digital control, and user satisfaction, Wintercircus is proof that complexity isn’t a barrier — it’s an opportunity. With the right platform, a building isn’t just connected — it’s intelligent.