Transparency is a core value of the organization that will occupy this office, and was therefore an important starting point for the design. The all-glass facade maximizes visibility and light penetration. The facade rim sets apart from the glass at certain points and creates overhangs in places where it is required to reduce solar heat. The shape of the building follows in basis the existing building line of adjacent buildings. On the corner of the intersection and the best view the second floor cantilevers to accentuate the corner. The same floor jumps back at the entrance of the location to create a roof garden.
We wanted to keep the detailling as pure as possible for maximum effect of the composition of the façade and glass: the height of the rim had to be the same everywhere, and the glass on both floors also had to have the same height. The challenge was that the façade rim sometimes follows the glass and sometimes jumps out. In addition, the vertical cross-section of the rim is sometimes an inside detail and sometimes an outside one. All these preconditions made for a nice puzzle that we solved by varying the height of the floors and thus solving the height margins. There are no window frames between the glass, instead there is just kit to minimize the thickness of the connection. The structural glass is custom-made and developed together with Octatube, who also built the façade.
The electricity for he entire building is generated by solar panels. The mossedum grass roof improves infiltration of rainwater. CO2-controlled zone air handling units and presence detectors for lighting ensure that no energy is wasted. The building will have an energy label A ++++ and performs 70% better in energy preservation than is required by building regulations.
