Valschermkade

A Green Heart

With the renovation of an existing industrial building, Paul de Ruiter Architects made the first sustainable choice. The foundation, walls, and roof of the building formed the basis for the transformation of the 1980s industrial building into the architectural firm's headquarters. The old brick office that stood in front of the building has made way for a fully glazed facade, allowing ample daylight into the workspaces. The office space is now a place to park our bikes, but above all, a fantastic place to work and have lunch outside in good weather.

Recycled and non-toxic biobased materials.

In the 6-meter-high existing building, a light-filled warehouse racking floor has been placed on the existing foundation, creating a large number of additional workspaces. To bring additional daylight into the workspace, an atrium with a skylight was created. In this atrium, a work of art/tree table designed by Anouk Vogel has become the social green heart of the building. Recycled and non-toxic biobased materials were used for the building materials, and the furniture is entirely based on the C2C principle. The interior features planters instead of plastic Corona screens, separating the workspaces.

Cold and heat storage in the ground.

We designed our office according to the Trias Energetica principles, where we heavily insulated it and source our energy from a sustainable mono-source beneath the office. At a depth of 105 meters, we store cold winter air, which we use for summer cooling. Summer heat is also stored underground, but at a depth of 70 meters. This heat is used to heat the building in winter. Heat pumps support the cooling and heating process. The building was recently assessed by an installation consultancy and has an A++ energy label.

Chameleon skin

The front facade features movable screens that we developed for Villa Deys in 1999. When open during the day, they form a canopy and block out the sun, and at night, they retract and seal the facade against burglary. The movable facade consists of perforated metal panels to maintain an open feel when closed. When the shutters are opened, they rise like a canopy above the glass facade.