Starterscentrum 't Werkpand

The West Flanders Provincial Development Company commissioned OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen to design an elegant building where new entrepreneurs could establish their businesses. The flawless organigram of the structure reconciles economy with grace. Beneath the pent roof lies a linear sequence of four units that are accessible at the front through gleaming sliding doors. Along the low side of the building they each have a small backdoor that opens onto a covered walkway with parking spaces. This is also the location of a shared meeting room. Each unit contains a spacious workshop with a mezzanine into which plenty of daylight enters through a continuous strip window that occupies the entire upper half of the front façade. Below the mezzanine is a small enclosed office with a kitchenette and toilets. Parking spaces are deliberately kept away from the concrete forecourt, which means there is plenty of room for trucks. It also lends the building a certain degree of theatricality. By cutting one of the ends of the building at an angle, the effect of this perspective is further manipulated. The striking garage doors and colourful steel profiles become decorative elements that emphasise the subtle pattern of the front façade. As a result, and despite being constructed of prefab panels in concrete and corrugated aluminium, the business incubator is able to transcend the banality of a traditional industrial building.

Birgit Cleppe

This project is published in Flanders Architectural Review N°13. This Is a Mustard Factory