The office building designed by Schellen Architekten focuses firmly on energy saving – by means of solar PV, concrete core activation and color shading elements by Colt.
Designing the headquarters of a construction company always represents a challenge for architects. After all, the building serves as the calling card for the client, the company’s creative ambitions, and requires adherence to a strict budget. Schellen Architekten from Belgium brilliantly came up with a showcase project for the construction company Van Roey in Rijkevorsel in Flanders. The U-shaped new build boasts a spacious foyer that extends across two storeys and provides bright office space that can be put to flexible use. That said, it is the facades with their metal-colored “Shadoglass” louvres by Colt that particularly catch the eye.
The variable sun protection – an electric drive aligns the louvres to suit the position of the sun – helps lower the building’s energy consumption. After all, the construction company intends the building to demonstrate that it is prepared for the European Union’s energy-saving decrees. For Belgium there are plans in place for a corresponding neutral energy standard by the year 2021.
On the roof of the building in Flanders solar PV panels and concrete core activation that stores thermal energy together guarantee prime energy saving. The sun protection is no less important for the overall concept. In summer it guarantees maximum thermal resistance and in winter optimum heat usage, meaning that unnecessary heating and cooling of the building is avoided. To this end UV-resistant, colorfast special fabrics laminated in the “Shadoglass” louvres, which gives the horizontal elements on the south-facing facade their characteristic silver and titanium color. And in the evening, when the setting sun keeps the west-facing frontage aglow in a warm copper tone, aesthetics proves to be no less important than functionality and a positive energy balance. (rw)
Functional and elegant: the headquarters of the Belgian construction company van Roey. Photo © Colt
The building, which was designed by Schellen Architekten, is U-shaped at the rear, with a two-story atrium linking the two wings. Photo © Colt
The “Shadoglass” louvres ensure optimum light in the spacious offices at any time of day or year. Photo © Colt
The “Shadoglass” louvres by Colt get their special hue through laminated UV-resistant, colorfast fabric. Photo © Colt
When closed, the 425-square-meter façade presents a varied pattern that changes depending on the position of the sun. Photo © Colt
