International. The Environment Agency in Brussels, Belgium, has a new passive office building, which is already recognized as the largest in Europe for its sustainable features.
Among some of its features, it is worth mentioning that the construction has a central atrium of seven floors high covered by a transparent roof that allows the entry of natural light throughout the day. Outside, the building was applied a black aluminum coating that aims to absorb sunlight.
The white color also stands out within the supporting metal structure and the light gray concrete floors of the different plants can be seen. This central atrium, facing the open square located outside, also captures solar radiation and stores heat for recycling.
For its part, the roof with triple glazing ensures a good level of insulation, while a system of automatic blinds protects the atrium from excessive sunlight during the summer months.
The open space on the ground floor, in which the Agency's information desk is located, connects the building with the adjacent square and will host from 2016 an exhibition on the main environmental challenges faced by cities of the 21st century. On the other hand, the main staircase, which is an extension of the stands of the adjacent auditorium, surrounds the perimeter of the central atrium creating open balconies on the different levels of the floors from which the entire atrium is dominated.
On the first floor, there is a restaurant overlooking the personal atrium and on the upper floors, bathed in sunlight, overlooking the city of Brussels, which house a laboratory and open-plan offices that provide flexibility when it comes to organizing workspaces.
Around 900m² of wooden screens designed by Nathalie Daele, the Agency's internal architect, are distributed on the different floors. Made of American cherry, they serve to organize workspaces in offices, which are mostly open-plan. The warm and intense tones of the cherry tree stand out remarkably against the plain white and light gray of the ceilings, and the concrete floors. The wooden screens introduce into the building a natural element that also creates a sign of continuity in the different floors. At the Brussels Environment Agency's information centre, located on the first floor next to the restaurant, visitors, school groups and NGOs can find practical information on environmental issues and receive first-hand advice from the Agency's team of advisers.
With www.construible.es information
