Mac-Interactive Architects

MIA’s Office

MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture

MIA'S OFFICE

MIA architecture

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Geoffrey NOËL

LANDSCAPE
Fabrice Gaillard

WOOD FRAME AND JOINERY
Menuiserie Schmitz

MANUFACTURERS
GRAPHISOFT, Xinnix, Forbo Flooring, Naly, Saint Gobain Glass

AREA
60 m2

YEAR
2020

LOCATION
BEAUFAYS, BELGIUM

CATEGORY
Offices, Sustainability

Text description provided by architect.

The project consists of the construction of a volume intended to house the spaces of an architect's office, a meeting room, and technical premises.

MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture

The volume is implanted in the extension of an existing house built in the 70s in a heavily wooded environment, from which it takes the architectural language for the base (painted bricks, masonry heads, height).

Placed on this base, we find the "mirror box" that houses the professional functions. This volume is covered with mirrored skin in order to "disappear" in its environment.

MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture

Thanks to the high reflection capacity of this cladding, the new building literally blends into the site.

In an almost surreal way, the large square office bay gives the impression, from the garden, of immersion in the interior space, through a notch in the vegetation laid on a brick base.

MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture

The other windows are hidden behind the translucent skin (SGG Mirastar® glass) and are only visible after dark.

Access is via a metal grating walkway, floating above a cloud of grasses, which leads to a wooden door uncovered by the extrusion of the mirror skin on the northwest corner.

From the workspace, the wide opening onto the garden allows to reduce the inner/outer limit and to feel immersed in the direct environment.

MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture

The building was constructed in a wooden frame (I-beam) 30 to 36cm thick filled with insulation, which makes it particularly energy efficient.

The use of this constructive principle also made it possible to reduce the construction time to a period of +/- 3 months.


MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture
MIA’s Office
Courtesy of MIA architecture


MIA’s Office
Implantation
MIA’s Office
Plan


MIA’s Office
Section 01
MIA’s Office
Section 02


MIA’s Office
Elevations
MIA’s Office
Site elevation

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Mac-Interactive Architects
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