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IOK Headquarters, Geel (B).

Beacon between city and landscape.

The construction of a new head office for the Intercommunity Development Company for the Kempen is part of a masterplan for the development of an office and business park which borders the ring road around Geel. The masterplan is structured around an ensemble of simple volumes that are nonetheless rich in character. 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 centre – 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 compact volume with a central core, around which is situated an extremely flexible layout. On the ground floor – where the reception and meeting facilities 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 which satisfies the required comfort norms thanks to its high insulation levels, minimal perforation and concrete core activation connected to a BTES-field. The choice of all materials – and their finishing – is also in line with this overall ambition. 

The facade is constructed as a modular shell of prefabricated, wooden construction elements, finished with wooden siding. The rhythm of the wooden elements emphasises the internal modularisation of the building and breaks the otherwise very generic rhythm of the window openings. The resulting elegant rhythm of th efaçade, in combination with the choice of materials and the robust detailing, is a translation of the link between a commercial programme in a mundane and almost rural environment.

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Location
Antwerpseweg 1, Geel, (B).
Year
2011
 – 
2015
 – 
...
Size
7.000 m²
Status
Built
Team
Bart Biermans
Hans Caarls
Hanne Daelemans
Amaury De Valensart
Alix Vervecken
Photography
Visualisation
IOK-1
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At the same time, it also takes a position on the transition between the city and the agricultural hinterland.
At the same time, it also takes a position on the transition between the city and the agricultural hinterland.
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The head office for IOK is located at the intersection of the Ring and Antwerpseweg, one of the access roads to the city center.
IOK-maquette
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The office building is the first phase in a wider master plan. This forms the head of a future science park along the ring.
The office building is the first phase in a wider master plan. This forms the head of a future science park along the ring.
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IOK-2
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It is a compact figure with simple floor fields around a central core. The compact shape is a crucial element in the building's very low energy consumption.

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IOK-plannen
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Groundfloor plan
First floor plan
Section
Facade
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The extensions on the ground floor - with their fine structure and large glass areas - connect to the surrounding landscape.
The extensions on the ground floor - with their fine structure and large glass areas - connect to the surrounding landscape.
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IOK-4
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On the ground floor, the simple type plan is expanded with a changing seam that anchors the building to the environment. On this floor, we find the reception, the cafeteria/multipurpose room, and the public meeting center.
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The facade is designed as a demountable skin of prefabricated wooden structural parts, finished with wooden cladding.

The rhythm of the wooden parts emphasises the internal modulation of the building and breaks the otherwise very generic rhythm of the window openings.

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IOK-12
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Louis H. Sullivan, Guaranty Building, New York.
Hugo Van Kuyck, Léon Stynen and Paul De Meyer, officebuilding E.B.E.S. in Antwerpen.
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Het ritme van de gevels is eerder zakelijk, in functie van de interne flexibiliteit en een goede daglichtinval. Dit beeld wordt aangevuld met een zachte materialisering en een haast ambachtelijke detaillering.
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Homemade mock-up 1:1
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The facades have a distinct layering: the concrete column structure remains separate from the wooden skin of the building; the solar screens partly pass in front of the wooden structure.

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The interiors are restrained but elegant. Special fragments provide orientation and vibrancy.
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