Lensvelt Factory & Office

Located on the edge of an industrial area of Breda–in the southwest of the Netherlands–this headquarters for the Dutch furniture company Lensvelt parallels a highway, which informs its elongated volume. The building is slightly lifted from the ground, which allows it to seemingly float above its immediate surroundings. It is framed at its top and bottom by a linear band of aluminum, while its façade–the western portion of which faces the highway–is composed of a translucent channel glass panelling system that allows for grades of visual permeability to interior from exterior. This volume is bisected by a void that separates the office space, to the south, from the showroom space, to the north. This void also denotes the building's main entry, which is planted with three Gingko trees. It is roofed by a cantilever at one end, while at its opposite end–which faces the highway–a second, roofed, and aluminum covered volume cantilevers outward. The façade of this auxiliary volume, and those of the elongated office and showroom spaces, are punctuated by oversized translucent picture windows. The glass windows that composed these two façade variants–both translucent and transparent–together create a rhythmic, blurred view of the interior's activities to those passing by–at extremely high speeds.

Location
Minervum 7003
4817 ZL Breda
the Netherlands

Program
Office

Size
6.230 m2

Date of design
1995

Date of completion
1999

Project team
Wiel Arets, Ivo Daniëls, René Thijssen

Collaborators
Paul van Dongen

Client
Lensvelt BV

Consultants
Traject Vastgoed & Advies Groep BV, Holthuis Bouwbegeleiding BV, West 8