A box in a box
The concept for the façade is a result of the general building concept that has been interpreted according to the box-in-a-box principle. Architect Michel Zaan (ABSCIS architecten) explains: “The actual volume of the hall is visibly present throughout the building because of the shape, volume and red colour. This is surrounded by a 2nd, more neutral shell. On the one hand, it has been made as transparent as possible because of the public character of the building. On the other hand, it still has the necessary closed space, because of the demand for wall space during exhibitions.”
Relief in the façade
The architect opted for a brickwork construction, as this would integrate best with the buildings in the neighbouring area. Given the scale of the building, the façade surfaces are very large. “A special, protruding header bond becomes very striking, causing a play of shadows in the relief of the façade. This makes the surface of the most prominent façade softer,“ says Michel Zaan. The same brickwork bond has been applied to the south and west façade. Only here the header bonds have been omitted, resulting in a façade with a decorative openwork bond (see photos). The south façade acts as sun protection and as a privacy screen for the windows at the back. On the west façade, the openings in the brickwork bond serve as ventilation for the underlying techniques. In order to show the brickwork bond to its best advantage, the architect chose a uniform light-grey colour, i.e. Quartis.
Brick Details:
Brick: Vandersanden Quartis
Project: community centre “De Wiek”, Zele (BE)
Architect: ABSCIS architecten, Ghent (BE)
Contractor: Dero Construct, Zele (BE)
Bricks: Quartis: Dimensions of facing bricks: 2 courses in module size 50, tilted headers (header = short side of facing brick) in thick size
Bonds: a combination of block bond and a decorative openwork bond
Photos: Steven Massart
