Smaller surface area, increased comfortThe central management of the Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Watervoorziening (VMW) moved to a new modern property in the area of the Brussels North Station. An obvious choice in terms of sustainability. Whilst the company was just as keen on design. VMW found this combination in ETAP.Opting for sustainability
Up to November 2010 the management was housed in the busy Rue Belliard in Brussels. With the move to the North Station neighbourhood, VMW hopes to motivate more employees to take the train to work, thereby reducing their ecological footprint.Using space more efficiently
With a surface area of 5,000 m², the new property is approximately half the size of the building in Rue Belliard. Yet there is no lack of space for the more than 200 employees, on the contrary. “The layout is much more comfortable,” states Francis Lambert, project coordinator at VMW. “We opted for the right balance between office landscape, well-defined spaces such as cockpits and a number of closed rooms. Therefore we use the available space much more efficiently. We also manage energy better: we have efficient climate ceilings, a green roof, and of course economical lighting.”No ordinary design
ETAP solutions were chosen for that lighting. Energy-savings and efficiency obviously played an important part but there was more to it. “For a number of spaces on the ground floor, VMW was looking for a unique, original design,” according to ETAP’s Yolande Spildooren. “We have met that requirement with a flexible Kardó lighting line, which follows the shape of the table in the conference room. The Dipp4 LED spots, in turn, provide mood lighting in the reception area. We use R8 with high efficiency diffuser in the canteen in a fairly whimsical setup. In the office spaces on the top floor, we installed custom-made recessed luminaires, fully integrated into the ceiling strips.”
Project sheet:
- 399 custom-made recessed luminaires
- 259 square downlights
- 25 Dipp4 LED spots
- 27 R8 suspended luminaires with HaloOptics®-diffuser
- 22,5 m Kardó with HaloOptics®-diffuser