Sustainable showcase
Sustainable showcase
IJSSELMUIDEN (NL) - One wouldn't normally associate steel gratings with organic architecture. Yet there is no doubt that the boxy building SEC architecten designed for the new offices of Verzinkerij Kampen fits quite naturally into its industrial surroundings. 'The office building says something about the client and their firm. Galvanizing is about durability, so the office had to be durable as well, in the broadest sense of the word,' says SEC architect Robert Flier.
The building was designed as a simple steel box frame, with walls made of sandwich panels. This is encased in a climate-control facade with a 60 cm cavity for thermal insulation. Verzinkerij Kampen is part of Roto, as is its sister company Staco, which makes galvanized and powder-coated steel gratings. It was obvious that these should be used for the office. They function on the one hand as protection for the large sheets of glass, on the other as solar shading in the form of vertical louvres. The gratings are Cradle to Cradle certified; both the zinc and the steel will eventually be recycled. Cooling and heating of the building is via the floors with the aid of a heat pump (underground thermal energy storage). A heat exchanger is used for ventilation.
With its new premises, the firm is keen not only to underscore its focus on sustainability, but also to promote the architectural applications of steel gratings. The movable louvres are just one example of what is possible. Via variations in mesh size and material thickness, curved gratings and powder coating (available in all RAL colours), an architect can realize just about any desired form. (Kirsten Hannema)
Ecocentric, Facade, Metal |
Netherlands
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