Page 89 - AIT0420_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Toop architectuur, BE-Westouter
Bauherr • Client Toop architectuur, BE-Westouter
Standort • Location Casselstraat 9, BE-Westouter
Nutzfläche • Floor space 36 m 2
Foto: Serge Anton
Fotos • Photos Tim Van de Velde, BE-Brüssel
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More information on page 150

ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE

IN WESTOUTER

'Re-interpreting flexible office space' was the central
idea of the unusual concept with which the Belgian ar-
chitectural firm TOOP responded to the need for more
office space. The solution was cost-effective shipping
containers. They can be easily converted and opened
up, they can be placed almost anywhere and — depen-
ding on the cladding — interact with the location.
Grundriss • Floor plan

I nvisible does not necessarily mean inconspicuous. This is demon-
strated by a small architecture firm based on the northern border
„An office which is as invisible of Belgium to France with the extension of its office space by two con-

as possible and always lets the verted shipping containers. While one container is designed to match
the characteristics of a typical plot of a terraced house in the centre
landscape speak at its of a city and adapts to the built structure with wood panelling, a
maximum.“ second container merges into the surrounding nature. By cladding
the outer skin with mirrored aluminium panels, the surroundings are
TOOP architectuur reflected on the envelope of the container, and the small building,
Querschnitt • Transversal section located in the middle of the landscape, thus disappears almost com-
pletely into the greenery in an impressive way. In addition, the inside
of both containers, of course, had to undergo a through conversion
to upgrade it compared to its previous purpose. For the interior walls,
the architects used inexpensive plywood; in addition to the floor and
ceiling, they also used this material for all fixtures such as the shelves
and desks – not least to show their clients that individual solutions
can be implemented even with a small budget. The dimensions of
the panels determine the modules and are the basis for the width of
table tops and shelf depths. Untreated steel strips with interlocking
joints form the vertical elements of the furniture systems, which
Längsschnitt • Longitudinal section do not need to be screwed or bolted together and thus maintain a
high degreeof flexibility and reuse. Three floor-to-ceiling, sliding
window elements take up most of the front façade and literally open
up the possibility of an impressive workplace in the open air. This
reveals the great importance that the Belgian architects attach to
intensive interaction between inside and outside, which is the focus
of many of their projects. They see their architectural laboratory as
a diptych, because as a project it consists of two individually develo-
ped cubic volumes at two different locations. They can imagine anot-
her container that once again provides a different answer to a diffe-
rent location, only to become part of a triptych — with the prospect of
Ansicht • View creating a polyptych.

AIT 4.2020 • 089