Hub

IOK Headquarters

IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens

IOK HEADQUARTERS

HUB

ARCHITECTS
HUB

COLLABORATORS
Bureau Bouwtechniek, Archiles Architecten, Forte, Technum

MANUFACTURERS
Autodesk, Desso, Helio Screen

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Bart Biermans & Koen Drossaert

CLIENTS
Van Roey nv

PHOTOGRAPHS
Ilse Liekens

AREA
4800 m²

YEAR
2014

LOCATION
Geel, Belgium

CATAGORY
Institutional Buildings

Text description provided by architect.

The construction of a new head office for the Intercommunity Development Company for the Kempen is part of a master plan for the development of an office and business park at the front of a future science park which borders the ring road around Geel.

The master plan is structured around an ensemble of simple buildings that are nonetheless rich in character.

IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens
IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens
IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens

The specific formal ratios and mutual positioning of these buildings generate a spatial transition from a vertical and dense construction at the intersection of the ring – the main access route to the city center – and a horizontal construction adjacent to the agrarian landscape which surrounds the city of Geel.

The new head office adopts a prominent position on the site. It is a simple volume with a central core, around which is situated an extremely flexible layout.

IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens
IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens

On the ground floor – where the reception and meeting room are located – protruding elements form a seam for the building which anchor it in the immediate environment.

The building is designed in accordance with high sustainability targets. It is a low-energy building (E48) which satisfies the required comfort norms thanks to its high insulation levels, minimal perforation, and concrete core activation.

IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens
IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens
IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens

The choice of all materials – and their finishing – is also in line with this overall ambition. The façade is constructed as a modular shell of prefabricated, wooden construction elements, finished with wooden siding.

The rhythm of the wooden elements emphasizes the internal modularisation of the building and breaks the otherwise very generic rhythm of the window openings.

The resulting elegant rhythm of the façade, in combination with the choice of materials and the robust detailing, is a translation of the link between a commercial program in an almost rural environment.

IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens
IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens
IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens
IOK Headquarters
© Ilse Liekens


IOK Headquarters
Ground Floor Plan
IOK Headquarters
First Floor Plan


IOK Headquarters
Section

Hub
T +32 3 2813129
Hub
Rijnkaai 22, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium