The Sipchem Product Application Development Centre (PADC) building is a four storey structure that will house laboratory and administrative offices for the company. In collaboration with the client and the Fraunhofer institute, L A V A developed a flexible office module that allows for various combinations of spaces and creates a new type of inspiring work environment.
Situated across two adjacent plots within the master plan for a new industrial park, the building’s design aims to create its own context. The heavy polymer lab and the car park are located in a sunken area while the excavation material is used to create an undulated landscape around the site. The building is organised as a large rectangular structure forming an inner courtyard. While about 80 per cent of the structure is regular, the entrance is articulated by an auditorium and some offices protrude into the atrium space creating a more diversified appearance. Public functions are positioned diagonally within the atrium.
The building’s facade will become a showcase for the company´s technology and create a highly efficient insulation specifically designed to work with the local climate. It is composed of a 1 m deep layer of CNCmilled polystyrene with a plaster coating, articulated by a non-repetitive pattern of window openings. At the position of the windows, its depth is increased to keep the direct sunlight away, whilst the window sills are angled to reflect daylight into the building.
