Beekpark Building

Beekpark Building in Apeldoorn, Netherlands by Meyer & Van Schooten, 2002
 

The Beekpark, a multi-purpose building in the cultural district of Apeldoorn, is comprised of office space, apartments and a car park. Designed by Amsterdam's Meyer & Van Schooten the exterior wall unifies the different parts, via a common glass façade system. Subtle changes in the wall system, as well as the massing of the parts, helps to differentiate the functions, while keeping the building's expression as a single entity.

At the car park, the glass panels give way to black metal panels, perforated to allow for ventilation. The metal panels follow the rhythm and section of the glass, reminiscent of Herzog & De Meuron's Ricola Storage Building (1987) and Peter Zumthor's Kunsthaus Bregenz, in the slightly-canted, serrated profile of the glass panels.

While the office and residential portions require windows, each is treated differently. The former's small openings are in a staggered rhythm (image on previous page) that is a continuation of the glass wall, using fritted glass at the windows to filter daylight. The split-level residential units, at left, break through the glass walls in larger openings, providing additional sun and ventilation.

Beyond the Beekpark Building's glass façade, differentiation can be found in the massing of each element, with the office/car park contained in a large, vertically-stacked box and the residential units extending from that element in a low, horizontality that keeps the units on one level. The rhythm of the glass panels and the various openings helps to create a unified look while also giving each element its own functional expression.