The Lab | VAK Architecten

ASSIGNMENT  

At the request of the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Antwerp, a new research hangar is being designed for biological studies on sea and river water in relation to air, soil, and maritime biotopes. Spatially, this translates into a non-air-conditioned structure that provides protection from rain and direct sunlight while remaining lockable to safeguard research materials. The open structure will house water basins for test setups and technical equipment for monitoring experiments.  

HANGAR DESIGN 

The design for the warehouse is based on a square floor plan (±18m x 18m) to ensure the structure is symmetrical on all sides. Because the research requires a flat floor to move basins weighing up to 1 ton with a pallet truck, a slab foundation finished with polished concrete is used. On top of this are concrete pedestals on a 3m x 3m design grid. The column bases rest on an anthracite-colored, impact-resistant concrete plinth. Rainwater is collected in three underground rainwater tanks. Reuse of this water is made possible by providing a hand pump. The metal structure of the shed stands on top of the concrete plinths. Metal infill panels are placed between the column structure, the articulation of which allows for various things: the creation of large gates (4m x 3m30), walk-through and emergency doors, as well as large open sections where metal grilles filter the sunlight and reduce the wind. The roof is a closed metal structure with sloping saddles of 25° per 3m bay. On all sides, a projecting cornice of ±1m50 (half a bay size) is created. Because we are conscious of how we use rainwater and in order to reinforce the character of the warehouse, the gutters and downpipes will be painted in a signal color up to the base of the columns, where the rainwater will be further buffered or overflowed via the underground drainage pipe to the infiltration ditch to the east of the warehouse.