Office – 1.500m²
Warehouse – 7.000m²
Site – 14.000m²
Follow-up project for
Arco NV industrial cooling, the warehouse and offices for the headquarters in
Lokeren (BE). Intending to take the Corten steel façade concept from the Geel
project a step further, we ended up going all the way. Corten had become the
unofficial company color, so why not. The glazed façade of the mezzanine
offices, protruding out over the loading zone, is oriented to the north in
order to take advantage of optimal natural daylighting. This, in combination
with the raw steel finish of the volume, make the building appear abstract and
foreign to the surroundings. In contrast to the Geel project, Arco Lokeren is
directed away from the highway, appearing to have turned its back to all of the
noise and attention of the E17.
Inside a timeless concrete
warehouse is revealed. Floor, structure and roof. Besides the pure aesthetic,
the concrete provides a robust shell for production. Equally as raw as the
Corten, yet somehow refined.
