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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Office space design with shipping containers in Kortrijk, Belgium by FIVE AMApril 3rd, 2014 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: FIVE AM At the end of 2012, printing office Drukta and mailing company Formail moved into their new building. Not a new build, but a former textile company’s warehouse, spanning 4.000 sqm. For their office space, both companies were looking for a solution which needed to fit their needs and budget. At the same time, they really wanted the original and creative concept to become a proper eye-catcher, linking the office area with the machines on the workfloor – a task right up the street of interior designers Five AM in Kortrijk (Belgium).
 Image Courtesy © Thomas De Bruyne
 Image Courtesy © Thomas De Bruyne Experience and transparency At the beginning of February, Drukta and Formail approached Five AM with the request to come up with an original solution to fit their office space in the warehouse. Drukta aimed to step away from the classic image of a printing office, where there is hardly any room for image building. Both owners wanted a concept pivoting around ‘experiences’, so that clients leave with a lasting  Image Courtesy © Thomas De Bruyne Upcyling Also from a sustainability point of view, both partners subscribed to the philosophy of recycling and re-using second hand containers. The choice for Upcycling was an easy one. Rather than building a brand new construction in the warehouse, upcycling allowed for existing materials to be applied in a sustainable way. Moreover, the flexible and modular character of the  Image Courtesy © Thomas De Bruyne From container to office After all the plans were finalised, all shipping containers were adjusted to their new life as office space. Openings for doors, windows and passages were cut. Interior walls were erected. The outside was painted in contrasting colours to the concrete of the workfloor (black for Drukta, yellow and black for Formail). And last but not least, they made their way to Kortrijk on trailers, to be assembled in their final positions. However, they were not placed in their entirety inside the building; part of them is visible from the outside still. The Drukta entrance for instance sticks almost 0.5 m out of the building, and for Formail the old loading docks were used. The main advantages of this set-up are the fact that natural light can flow into the offices and that the containers add cachet to the exterior of the building.  Image Courtesy © Thomas De Bruyne Simplicity does it For the finishing of the containers, Five AM opted for a sober but attractive style, to go with the preferences of both building partners. For the cladding for instance, building materials were used. For the interior walls in the Drukta offices, the use of multiplex created a warm and cosy feel, further enhanced by the carpet on the floor. At Formail, they went for a bit more minimalistic style, with MDF panels painted white. Also functionality was important, since the containers were partly outside and had to be insulated. Five AM kept the lighting sober: rhythmically placed TL lights in the offices and indirect lighting in the toilets. Apart from artificial lights, in the Formail offices especially a lot of thought went into having as much natural light flowing in as possible, with big windows in the containers and in the façade, but also by placing a long skylight in the area for manual handling. And this is how bold containers were transformed into bright and airy offices and pleasant working spaces. Re-usable concept Assembling shipping containers into larger constructions and fitting these into existing buildings, is not a new idea for fast and durable building concepts. However, Five AM delivers added originality, which is of course applicable to other companies. With their choice of materials and clever use of space, the design duo succeeded to obtain the result the clients wanted, while still being on a smaller budget. Also, the modular characteristics guaranteed flexibility, taking away the need for any drastic work, since at any time extra containers can be added or the existing containers can be moved to another location. What is certain, is that both Drukta and Formail are very happy with the result – and moving is not on the immediate agenda. About Five AM Design atelier Five AM was established in 2011 by interior designers Mathieu Bellens and Olivier Caluwier. Creating interiors and exhibition spaces for semipublic organisations and private companies, the Five AM portfolio also extends to product design. The studio’s aim is to generate a moment of astonishment in the process of realising an inspiring result. With simplicity as a starting point, each design needs to interact with the user and build up naturally until the story is complete.
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Categories: Cinema 4D, Offices, Vectorworks |
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