Factory recycling: sustainability on a new level
Spanish architect Carlos Arroyo presented with a Global Holcim Awards Finalist 2012 certificate
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Global Holcim Awards finalist certificate handover – City hall and civic center recycled from former factory, Oostkamp, Belgium
Global Holcim Awards Finalist certificate 2012 handover for "City hall and civic center recycled from former factory" Oostkamp, Belgium (l-r): Séverine Baudoin, Holcim Belgium; Jan Compernol, Chief Administrative Officer (Town Clerk) of Oostkamp; project authors Bart Anthonissen of ELD Partnership (Belgium) and Carlos Arroyo of Arroyo Arquitectos (Spain); and Manuel Soriano, Holcim Spain.
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Global Holcim Awards finalist certificate handover – City hall and civic center recycled from former factory, Oostkamp, Belgium
"City hall and civic center recycled from former factory" Oostkamp, Belgium: Carlos Arroyo of Arroyo Arquitectos, Spain explains the recycling both the factory building and its technical infrastructure from storage facility for the softdrink he holds in his hand into the first co-located municipal and public welfare services building in Flanders.
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Global Holcim Awards finalist certificate handover – City hall and civic center recycled from former factory, Oostkamp, Belgium
"City hall and civic center recycled from former factory" Oostkamp, Belgium: Carlos Arroyo of Arroyo Arquitectos, Spain (left of image, standing on prominent white line) provides a tour of the new City Hall and Civic Center and explains the thermal performance of the interior cloud-like bubble structures.
Spanish architect Carlos Arroyo was presented with a Global Holcim Awards Finalist 2012 certificate for the City Hall and Civic Center recycled from former factory in Oostkamp, Belgium. The project developed by Carlos Arroyo Arquitectos, Spain + ELD Partnership, Belgium up-cycles the main construction and materials and also re-uses the space itself including the technical infrastructure.
Last updated: December 21, 2012 Oostkamp, Belgium
The Global Holcim Awards Finalist 2012 certificate was presented to the winners by Séverine Baudoin, Holcim Belgium, and Manuel Soriano, Holcim Spain. Jan Compernol, Chief Administrative Officer (Town Clerk) of Oostkamp, presented the project from the perspective of the project owner and described its development from planning, through implementation, and shared the initial results and impacts. Lead architect Carlos Arroyo and his Belgian partner Bart Anthonissen of ELD Partnership then guided visitors through the redeployed structure, explaining how the vision of the project owner translates into each feature of the building.
The handover presentation at Oostkamp’s new City Hall and Civic Center was part of a workshop on sustainable construction for communications managers and Holcim Awards coordinators of Holcim Group companies from Europe, North America and Northern Africa. Luc van Parys, Mayor of Oostkamp, welcomed guests from 25 countries and explained the importance of this visionary project for its citizens: “We wanted to create a truly democratic building which not only provides the upmost visual transparency but really serves the needs of the people.”
The transformation of the 41,000 square-meter site from a former Coca-Cola factory into a City Hall and Civic Center took 18 months and cost USD 6 million. Oostkamp is now the first municipality in Flanders to co-locate municipal and public welfare services in one building. Under the existing roof of the hall, the architect has created a sky of overlapping white bubbles made of glass reinforced gypsum (GRG). Aside from creating a unique spatial experience, the GRG bubbles also have a technical function: the gypsum ceiling provides enhanced thermal insulation.
The new administration building for Oostkamp was opened in June, 2012. The building received the Holcim Awards Silver 2011 for Europe and was a finalist in the Global Holcim Awards 2012. Carlos Arroyo’s project continues to attract attention due to its performance in recycling both the factory building and its technical infrastructure – as well as for the interior cloud-like bubble forms.