Ecological, organic and sustainable
The company building of the Belgian RIKA importer Stroomop convinces all along the line.
The building includes an office and a showroom (both passive) and an adjoining warehouse for storing materials. The passive concept was taken into account from the very first design sketches. This is reflected, among other things, in the planning (grouping spaces), structural concept (solid construction vs. light structures), well-considered placement and orientation of windows (daylight, overheating, night cooling).
The entire plan structure is flexible. The structure and insulation span the entire space, and the walls can be easily removed and replaced by a new arrangement at a later date. The technology and piping are also designed to be modular and flexible.In the centre of the volume, there is an atrium with overhead lighting, where maximum daylight is brought in. The accurate placement of two atriums and several strips of glass in the mezzanine floors allow daylight to spread optimally to the lower floors.
The building is constructed entirely according to the principles of bio-ecological construction. Structurally, the office has a light core in CLT wood massif construction and an edge zone in sand-lime brick structure. But also in insulation and finishing, materials such as wood wool, cellular glass, wood and loam plaster are omnipresent. The project was screened by Vibe vzw for bio-ecological material use and approved.
In terms of technology, a resolute choice was made for renewable energy sources. A micro-CHP on wood pellets is used to generate heat, while cooling is provided by a combination of passive night cooling, passive geothermal wall cooling and adiabatic cooling on the ventilation air.
Almost the entire roof of the offices is covered with a green roof. Local greenery has been chosen for planting in the green zones on the site.
Only where this is necessary in order to provide access for lorries will an impermeable pavement be provided. The parking places for cars will be made of permeable pavement.
DEVELOPER
EA+ architects and engineers
Photographer: Marc Sourbron
Pictures: © Stroomop
