City square with passive office in Mortsel, Belgium by ABSCIS Architecten

Article source: ABSCIS Architecten

This project consists of three essential parts: a passive multi-functional building, the sustainable city square with awning and underground car park. All components have been realised in a Public-Private Partnership.

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

• Architects: ABSCIS Architecten
• Project: City square with passive office
• Location: Mortsel, Belgium

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

The passive, multi-functional building is characterised by a 10m. (nearly 33 feet) cantilever. This technical masterpiece helps to make this building not only a remarkable item on the square, but it also, thanks to its direction, puts extra emphasis on that location as a busy traffic junction. On the ground floor there is space for a city cafe with terrace next to the elongated entrance axis with lifts for the offices above. The offices above are changeable in size, from large to small units. The building is an essential component of the square and has the same identity as the square: urban, but with a small-scale focus, an external layer of grey fibre cement sheets in different sizes, combined with sleek, wooden block windows.

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

The translucent awning consists of galvanised steel columns structured like branches, carrying the big wedge-shaped components in safety glass. Between these glass plates of the awning, PV-cells are planned to provide 40% of all lighting for car park and square. This print provides welcome shade in the summer and is easy to maintain thanks to its non-transparent quality. At night the awning will be lit up and simultaneously provide basic lighting for the square. The underground part of this project consists of a car park with three logically constructed parking levels for a total of 505 cars and 250 bicycles.

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

Image Courtesy © ABSCIS ARCHITECTEN

Tags: Belgium, Mortsel

Categories: Building, Office Building

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