cultural center and library de factorij | ebtca architecten

The former Suchard factory site in Zaventem was transformed into the “The Factory” cultural site which is intended to lend the town centre a whole new look.The bordering presence of the academy with its green surroundings and gorgeous trees broadened and enhanced this site and will make it the green anchoring point leading to the town.

In addition to a library, The Factory also features a large theatre with 679 seats and a multifunctional hall. The main building has a large foyer, a cultural cafe, a dance and ballet hall and rehearsal spaces for music and recitals, party halls, catering, exhibition rooms, conference and meeting rooms and artists’residences on top of the administrative areas. The playhouse itself is equipped with a full-fledged theatre, theatre storage spaces and studios as well as a mobile orchestra pit (with elevator) for an orchestra of approx. 30 musicians.

Optimal budget management begins with determining the right location and thefirst outlines for the design. Taking the vibration measurements of the railway into account, the theatre was planned to be situated at a minimal distance of 60 metres from the tracks. Unnecessary insulation and foundation costs were avoided this way. Thanks to the long-stretched terrain, this was made entirely possible. 

What is truly unique about the design is that half of the concert hall is underground. This, because of the maximum building height of 8m on the one hand, and on the other hand, this work method offered advantages in the acoustic characteristics of the the theatre hall and those living in the surrounding area will not experience any noise nuisance. In searching for the most perfect acoustic shape, the design evolved into a shellshaped hall. This distinct shape can also be perceived in the adjoining areas; the entrance, the reception, the bar, the cafeteria and the foyer. This lends the entire site a wonderful clarity and serves its simple accessibility; also for the disabled; as the building mainly spans two floors.

This specific shell shape also happens to maximise the use of natural daylight.The ‘box in a box’ principle allows the hall to utilise the natural daylight so that no artificial lighting will be required for rehearsals and performances during the day. The underground foyer is also designed to fill with natural daylight; on the one hand with northern light that is filtered down via ‘the shell’; ideal for art exhibits, and on the other hand, via the patio that connects in one glowing motion to the green promenade.

The location of the public library leaves a lot available space for this expansive glowing movement. At the street, the facade increases in volume so that the building is quite evident and the main entrance serves as a visual point of attraction. Thanks to the conscious interplay of volumes, throughout the entire complex, the various departments can function independently without bothering each other. The zoning of public, semi-public and private terrains is strictly monitored and these seamlessly connect to one another so that unnecessary circulation is avoided. Here, social control of the private areas is always taken into account and optimally ensured with the necessary staffing.

The central location of certain functions permits social use so that there is noneed for “dual” areas. This makes the entire site highly multifunctional and easy to transform according to need. The centrally located culture cafe is the hub between the cultural events and the new municipal library that is also part ofthe building programme in this cultural centre.

The modest location of the public library also seamlessly connects to the environment. The library leans, as it were, against the remaining facades of the previous Suchard Chocolat factory but it leaves room for the new architectural design with a striking copper-coloured facade cladding at the same time. The green environment broadens and enhances the bordering academy as a green anchoring point heading towards the town centre. Additional techniques have also been implemented in focusing on ‘green’. Green roofs cover the entiresurface of the theatre, heating and cooling has been supplied via the use of geothermal energy, rain water is captured in infiltration basins and the roof is built of eco-bitumen. This material limits CO2 emissions and in doing so, has the impact of lowering the overall ecological footprint of the roof. The white reflective mineral also results in an improved air quality throughout the entirebuilding.

The underlying philosophy behind the overall design falls within the context of sustainable construction: to use energy responsibly and develop new ideas that utilise minimal means to achieve an honest result. The municipality of Zaventem wanted to set the example for what future construction should look like. Dynamic simulations of the subsurface and the design offered guarantees in terms of the capacity that could be retrieved from the ground and he minimum/maximum delivery temperatures throughout the different seasons. A hybrid system of geothermal energy and condensed gasboilers, with short payback period of only thirteen years, was therefore the ideal solution. Considering the limited drilling depth allowed, relatively many probes were installed: 107 in total. The probes were connected in groups of four and connected to a collector, which thereby could be limited in size. A heatingpump was connected to the geothermal energy system. This can provide 60% of the heating need. The remaining amount can be compensated for with gasfired condensation boilers.

In collaboration with Archiles architecten