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Entwurf • Design PUUR, BE-Antwerpen
Foto: Hanne Fransen, BE-Antwerpen
Bauherr • Client PUUR, BE-Antwerpen
Standort • Location Slachthuisiaan 25B, BE-Antwerpen
Nutzfläche • Floor space 436 m 2
Fotos • Photos Stijn Bollaert, Jan Delvinlaan, BE-Gent
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 150

INTERIOR DESIGN OFFICE

IN ANTWERPEN

„Wie können wir nachhaltig handeln?“ When interior designers develop interiors for themsel-
ves, these spaces are usually quite special. They bear
PUUR witness to visions of the future and often point the
way for subsequent projects. When the design office
PUUR from Antwerp outgrew its previous office premi-
ses, one question predominantly shaped the search for
a new solution: How can we act sustainably?

T here does not seem to be a clear answer to the question of sustai-
nability. Quite the contrary: different certificates and experts with
different standards often give contradictory answers. One thing is cer-
tain, however – there is a need for action! One of the most popular
building materials in the industry is a real climate killer: concrete. Its
production requires cement, the production of which accounts for
eight percent of total CO2 emissions each year. While it is necessary to
make the production process less emission-intensive, new design so-
lutions are also needed from planners! Interior design firm PUUR from
Antwerp has taken the path of the circular economy and established a
new spatial concept for its own office premises in an old warehouse.
The Arsenale, the old warehouse buildings used as a venue for the Ar-
chitecture Biennale in Venice, provided the inspiration. The feeling of
wandering through an industrial building and being inspired by archi-
tectural installations and art was to be transferred to the own office
space. PUUR designed an open-plan layout and positioned all architec-
tural elements centrally in the room. The office furniture was thus
transformed into exhibits, which are staged by custom-made luminai-
res. A feeling of spaciousness is created in the loft-like office spaces.
Anything that could disturb the quiet, focused aura of the interior is
cleverly concealed by two additionally inserted volumes. They struc-
ture the floor plan and accommodate individual offices, meeting and
service rooms. All decisions concerning the design and the materials
used are based on the circular economy concept: larch wood is one of
the most sustainable European types of wood; the dimensions of the
inserted volumes were adapted to the sizes of the plasterboard; room-
dividing elements can be dismantled; and the acoustic spray plaster
on the ceiling consists of recycled newspaper remnants. A special high-
light is the place where all employees come together: the extra-large
dining table from the Brussels-based collective Rotor DC in the kitchen.
The collective used steel beams from demolition sites for the table,
Grundriss • Floor plan thus breathing new life into the old material. A well-rounded project!

AIT 10.2021 • 103