In the design of Hannibal (Belgium) new office, one principle stood out: the need for ample natural light. A glass façade emerged as the ideal solution; however, the challenge of managing sunlight’s heat and glare soon became apparent.
Sander Verhanneman, an architect at Rohm, highlights the importance of collaboration in architectural design. “Design is never the product of an architect alone,” he states. “For this new office, the glass façades on the first and second floors, conceived as a duplex landscape office with significant visibility to the outside, allow you to look straight into the treetops. Indoors and outdoors thus literally blend together here.” He continues, “With a glass front and rear façade, you can even see right through the building. That creates a vast openness and bathes the interior in light.”
To maintain a comfortable indoor climate, Verhanneman emphasises the need for effective sun protection. “For a curtain wall, external blinds are the most efficient way to keep it pleasantly fresh inside,” he notes.
Given the abundance of glass, the risk of overheating on sunny days is considerable. “For a glass façade like this — and by extension, for all windows — outdoor sun protection screens are the most efficient way to prevent it from quickly becoming unbearably hot inside on hot days,” Verhanneman explains, clarifying the decision to incorporate Renson screens. “This choice has consistently proven necessary in previous office projects. We often opt for dark screens in these cases because they offer more transparency. Even with the screens down, the view to the outside is thus fully maintained. What also played a part in the choice of Renson sun protection screens was that this would also eliminate annoying reflections on computer screens.”
The integration of these screens was a significant undertaking. Jan Lein, the project manager, shares, “This project was quite a challenge. Visually, the front and rear façades are the same, but at the back, the Renson screens are nicely integrated with the façade. Architectural glass façades like these are never simple, and they require close monitoring from design to finishing.”
Verhanneman adds, “Our main concern was to be able to integrate those screens neatly and tightly into the curtain wall. We worked with Renson to find the most suitable elaboration. The new combination solution from Renson proved to be a hit for the parameters we had set. Whereas for curtain walls you used to have to make do with sun protection screens that were not fully compatible and whose coupling guides were simply screwed to the curtain wall profiles, here we were able to achieve a much tighter result that does not detract from the design in any way.”
Through innovative design and collaboration, Hannibal (Belgium) new office showcases a unique glass façade concept that seamlessly integrates aesthetics with functionality.
For more details on the product, contact:
Email: makarand.kendre@renson.net
Contact: +91 9822 912403
Website: www.renson.eu
