Archinect - News

MVRDV's new demountable science building has over 120,000 reusable components

2023-05-25T19:36:00-04:00

Construction of MVRDV’s Matrix ONE project, a laboratory and office building in the heart of Amsterdam Science Park, has been completed.

The six-story, 140,000-square-foot structure is the largest of seven buildings that now make up the Matrix Innovation Center, a site for scientists and entrepreneurs to develop sustainable solutions for current and future issues.

Image: MVRDV / © Daria Scagliola

As the main hub at the Center, Matrix ONE aims to be a guiding example to the other buildings at the Amsterdam Science Park. The building was made to be demountable, in which connections such as screws and bolts allow elements to be detached and reused. In addition, its floors are made using prefabricated concrete slabs with no fixed connections.

Image: MVRDV / © Daria Scagliola

The platform Madaster was used to provide a material passport system that registers all the materials and products incorporated in the building. It provides insight into the carbon dioxide storage for over 120,000 ...

UNStudio refurbishes former banking HQ in Eindhoven

2023-04-11T17:55:00-04:00

UNStudio has just unveiled a completed redesign of a former bank headquarters building called Fellenoord 15 in the Dutch city of Eindhoven.

The project transformed the former Rabobank HQ into a 32,000-square-meter (344,440-square-foot) governmental facility equipped with the latest building management technology and capable of hosting more flexible work concepts that are better constituted for the demands of our century.

The building before its transformation. Image: Studio Hans Wilschut

The completed building following the redesign. Image: Studio Hans Wilschut

Taking the shell of the existing building, UNStudio says they were able to save roughly 40% of the CO2 footprint required by new construction. Its design enables the use of a new public space between the building’s entrance and the adjacent bus station. A series of high-tech sensors decreases energy consumption while increasing the efficiency of workers’ use of the building through data.

Image: Evabloem

Geotherma...

Foster + Partners completes flexible office complex in Luxembourg

2023-01-26T14:45:00-05:00

Foster + Partners has completed a new office complex in Belval, Luxembourg that promotes flexible and collaborative working environments. Called ICÔNE, the 202,362-square-foot structure is filled with light and greenery, cultivating a safe, spacious atmosphere while referencing the rich industrial heritage of Belval. The project aims to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

ICÔNE’s location is described as a new city quarter that combines research, education, leisure, and commerce. The complex relates to the scale of the neighboring buildings, along with the varying characteristics of the surrounding streets. Its entrances are oriented differently in response to Porte de France, the main urban street to the west, and the Place de l’Académie to the east. These entrances will be enlivened by new shops, cafés, and restaurants.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

“We are delighted to celebrate the opening of this landmark project for Belval, which we began des...

Inside the ‘world’s most sustainable furniture factory’ designed by BIG

2022-06-02T11:53:00-04:00

Norwegian outdoor furniture manufacturer Vestre has moved into The Plus, its new factory in Magnor, Norway, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The 75,000-square-foot (7,000-square-meter) factory was built in 18 months and claims to be the world’s most environmentally-friendly furniture factory.

Photo by Einar Aslaksen

BIG’s scheme is divided into four production areas (the Color Factory, the Wood Factory, Assembly, and Warehouse), placed in four orthogonal wings. A circular courtyard sits at the heart of the scheme, surrounded by a visitor center.

Photo by Einar Aslaksen

The factory seeks to become the first project of its kind in the world to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating. The building’s energy consumption is 60% lower than comparable factories, with 55% lower greenhouse gas emissions. A green rooftop accommodates 900 solar panels, while between 90% and 95% of the water used within the facility will be reused.

Photo by Einar Aslaksen

P...

Arup completes the Netherlands' tallest timber-hybrid residential building

2022-03-31T19:16:00-04:00

Arup has designed and engineered the Netherlands’ tallest timber-hybrid residential building.

Completed this year, HAUT is part of the country’s commitment to becoming climate-neutral by 2050, in which the use of timber as a building material has been identified as one of the most effective ways to accelerate decarbonization. As noted by Arup, in 2021, over 80 Dutch companies signed the Green Deal covenant Houtbouw of the Metropoolregio Amsterdam. With this, the nation's capital and most populous city is committing to the goal of building at least one in five buildings using primarily timber from 2025 onwards.

Previously on Archinect: Arup, TEAM V to build world's tallest timber residential building in Amsterdam

HAUT was conceived in 2016 with the aim of being of both sustainable and high architectural quality. Situated near the Amstel river, the structure is one of the tallest timber-hybrid buildings in the world, standing 21 floors tall at nearly 240 feet. It was also certified B...

Making clients go green: A free report by WGBC helps architects pitch sustainable design as good business

2021-11-05T11:55:00-04:00

The World Green Building Council has published a free interactive report setting out the economic and social benefits of constructing sustainable buildings. The 114-page “Beyond the Business Case” report was launched at COP26 and may serve as a valuable tool for architects to communicate to commercial clients the financial and social value of investing in environmentally-conscious projects.

“A growing body of evidence has shown that unmanaged climate change generates significant value risks for investors and that the inclusion of climate factors can improve returns,” reads the report. “Consequently, financial markets are increasingly directing their investments towards projects and companies that guarantee (in addition to economic profitability) the achievement of social and environmental development goals.”

Related on Archinect: The Build Better Now Virtual Pavilion at COP26

The report puts forward a range of client-facing economic benefits for green buildings, noting that green ...

KAAN Architecten completes Utopia, a library and academy for performing arts in Belgium

2018-06-26T16:06:00-04:00

Utopia, the Library and Academy for Performing Arts, has recently opened in it's new building designed by KAAN Architecten. Located in Aalst, Belgium, the brick structure incorporates a historic school building from 1880 embedded within.

Taking its cue from Thomas More’s acclaimed book "Utopia" (first printed by a citizen of Aalst), KAAN Architecten's building features an entrance located on an intimate square between the reading café and the auditorium.

Moving through tall, wide openings in the brickwork the structure opens to several thick concrete floors that appearing to float. Hanging at...

The UK’s Most ‘Outstanding’ Green Building

2012-12-20T20:23:00-05:00

The building, known as 1 Angel Square, has been designed to deliver a 50 per cent reduction in energy consumption compared to The Co-operative’s current Manchester complex and an 80 per cent reduction in carbon. This will lead to operating costs being lowered by up to 30 per cent.

Guerre des vertes: An accounting account of London's greening financial sector

2011-04-25T03:49:43-04:00

"It's about future-proofing yourself - nobody wants to be at the bottom of the pile on this agenda."

The green war? It has nothing to do with a central European political movement. Rather the conflict in question is about employee retention, overall well-being and leading by example. If one is in the business of auditing business, it should be a priority to have one's own affairs in tip-top shape.

The BBC shares with us that KPMG's and PricewaterhouseCoopers' newest architectural additions to the City of London have earned BREEAM ratings of "excellent" and "outstanding." Jon Barnes, manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers' properties, says that there were no excuses in installing the right equipment in a new building. PricewaterhouseCoopers' new headquarter cost ₤65,000,000 (~$107,000,000) to outfit with "outstanding"-rated infrastructure.

The PricewaterhouseCooper building will generate 25% of its own electricity through burning 45,000 liters of fry-oil bio-diesel a month saving the company about ₤1,000,000 annually. Perhaps the move will help to degrease London's fat-clog...