Brick-clad office building with Infinitum 3003, the tone has been set!

The link between traditional and innovative architecture

When the project manager and the architect are one and the same person, the outcome is always awaited with keen anticipation. It invariably leads to unique realisations that exhibit great attention to detail. Joeri Dautzenberg wanted to create a modern workspace for his agency X-act Architecten adjacent to his own existing house.

As an architect, however, he didn't want to compromise his predecessor's design. The 1950s home and its appearance therefore had to be kept fully intact.

The house was built on top of an elevated cellar that protrudes 1 metre above ground level. While the walls of the house have been painted white, the base has been built with reddish brown bricks. To maintain the building's vintage look, it was decided that the basement floor should serve as the location for the new office.

The building remains unchanged by the addition of a lower patio with a separate entrance at the front. The patio also ensures sufficient light comes in and it creates a sense of space, resulting in a pleasant workspace.

The new office is in actual fact an extension of the base and three-quarters of it is located below ground level. Taking this into account, Joeri decided to opt for red bricks in order to integrate the new structure into the existing building. His final choice fell on the handmade red infinitum 3003.

These long-sized bricks by Vande Moortel, with an average length of 510 mm, had all the characteristics he was looking for to support his design. These bricks carry the Hand-Made label, which means that their colour is naturally subtle and warm, adding value to the new build project and providing the perfect match to the base of the existing house.

The length of the infinitum 3003 gives the building as a whole a modern and contemporary twist and adds a feeling of space. To enhance these aspects, the brickwork was finished to the highest standard. The architect decided not to point the walls. In doing so, the colour nuances well and truly stand out.

The bricks are laid in a random bond with a joint thickness of 8 mm. Despite the random bond, only full bricks were used for the masonry work, emphasizing the brick's horizontality even more. Who mentioned anything about an eye for detail?