We love repurposed buildings here at Architizer, and this refurbished Coca-Cola factory in Bruges, Belgium, is no exception! The Spanish firm Carlos Arroyo Arquitectos has taken the vacant factory and turned it into a spiffy city hall—a centralized administration center for the countryside’s various, scattered municipalities. Using recycled materials, along with revamped utility and energy systems, the building is a colorful, eco-conscious, and badly needed addition to the area. Read more!

Using inexpensive material, the facility located in Oostkamp is composed of a smorgasbord of materials: thin gypsum and fibre shells that make the luminous bubble ceiling; a felt finish made from recycled bottles for natural warmth and dampened acoustics; and a “thermal onion” heating system that uses the thermal inertia of existing concrete slabs.

Open spaces in the civic center are lit through a controlled weather system with the use of LEDs to provide an environment that mimics and enhances surrounding outdoors. For example, rain is a captured in a transparent surface equipped with colored lights that display an engaging water show from the overhead storm. Solar cells, wind turbines and a rain collecting system provides the facility with natural energy sources. Sky lights peeking through the bubble ceiling provide passive lighting.

Images: courtesy of Frame Publishers and Carlos Arroyo Arquitectos

Take a look at the concept video:

Oostkamp from LabTrazos on Vimeo.

by Rebecca Fleischer

posted in Uncategorized

tagged belgium, bruges, carlos arroyo arquitectos, coca-cola, green, recycled materials, repurposed buildings

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