Praksis Arkitekter’s improvement of a 30-year-old timber warehouse in Østbirk, Denmark, into a research study and development hub for the VELUX Group demonstrates how daytime, product reuse and deep retrofit can provide a versatile, low-carbon work environment.
Words John Ramshaw Pictures Adam Mørk Found in Østbirk, Denmark, the VELUX LKR Innovation Home is both an office and a prototype. Won in competitors by Praksis Arkitekter, the 14,000-square-metre structure brings together 500 workers in a single research and advancement center, combining groups previously distributed throughout multiple websites. Showing VELUX’s enduring dedication to sustainability, the project changes an existing warehouse into a contemporary workplace formed by daylight, material reuse and environmental efficiency.
Commissioned by Lars Kann-Rasmussen (kid of the company’s founder), the warehouse, was built in 1995 and developed as a test bed for the use of primary without treatment timber building elements. Developed almost totally from wood sourced from Danish and Swedish forests, it checked out material behaviour, performance and toughness. 30 years on, the experiment had proved effective with the wood structure staying in great condition and the structure itself thought about a material and cultural possession for the company. This legacy formed an essential component of the quick, as task designer Mette Tony explains: “Our overarching goal was to protect as much of the structure as possible and to bring it forward into the future.”
Sited surrounding to a 70,000 m two publicly-accessible park referred to as Nature Østbirk, the warehouse had previously been surrounded by parking and commercial infrastructure. The redesign reverses this condition, pushing cars away and drawing nature more detailed through perimeter planting and landscaping, along with a pair of generous courtyard ‘gardens’ sunk into the deep strategy. The latter resolved one of the essential design obstacles: how to get daylight and ventilation into a mostly windowless warehouse measuring 120 × 75 metres. “By cutting into the building and including the two yards, we had the ability to bring nature from the outside in and invite everyone to be surrounded by it under the sky,” states Tony.
Bird’s-eye view revealing internal yards and roof windows. The designer’s other essential move was develop spatial variety within the big, uniform volume, while likewise keeping and incorporating the existing structure. “We are always looking for the coexistence of old and new to bring out the best of both,” comments Tony. This method is reflected in the choice not to highlight the distinction in between retained and brand-new components. Rather, the design seeks to produce an unified architectural language in which interventions are taken in into the existing fabric.
The plan is arranged around a series of interconnected areas created to support both specific and collective work, as well as encourage movement, interaction and visual connection throughout different departments. At the eastern entrance, a double-height foyer serves as the primary point of arrival. This space functions as a reception, exhibit area and casual meeting zone, providing instant visual connections throughout the building.
The double-height reception area opens out onto a landscaped courtyard garden.
From here, the layout unfolds into distinct but connected zones: workshops and fabrication locations to the south; workplace to the north; research study facilities in the west; and a main lunchroom serving as the social heart. The organisation is meant to show both functional requirements and degrees of accessibility. Public-facing and collaborative areas lie closer to the entrance, while more personal research study areas are located much deeper within the strategy. This is strengthened through spatial shifts rather than rigid borders. Gardens and shared areas moderate between zones, allowing motion and interaction while maintaining required levels of privacy.
The office areas are arranged into ‘neighbourhoods’, each connected with a specific group or function. Within these, versatile workstations, meeting rooms and casual areas enable users to select where and how they work. There are no fixed desks or private workplaces, consisting of for management. Rather, a shared desk system runs at around 65 percent occupancy, motivating mobility and interaction. This versatility is supported by a variety of spatial types, consisting of open desk locations, small meeting rooms, mini-workshops within workplace zones, and large workshops and laboratories. The intent is to develop opportunities for opportunity encounters and understanding exchange. As Tony puts it the building is created so that “you satisfy each other and join forces in order to innovate.”
The yards play a crucial function organisational role, with work spaces and shared areas, such as the foyer and cafeteria set up along brand-new internal facades. While they differ in scale and character, both courtyards contribute to a network of interior landscapes that structure movement and interaction. They also contribute to the building’s environmental method by promoting natural ventilation, passive cooling, and naturally daylighting. The windows lining the courtyards are secured from solar gain by deep roofing system overhangs.
Matching the courtyards is an extensive rooflight method. The considerable 5th elevation is treated as a ‘landscape of VELUX items’, with 387 electrically-operated roofing windows and 26 modular skylights guaranteeing daylight across the full depth of the structure. Triple-glazing is utilized throughout in combination with internal blinds for the skylights. The windows are connected to the structures automated natural ventilation system, allowing them to respond to changing day-to-day climactic conditions.
Left: A shared desk system motivates movement and interaction.Right: New structural aspects are
developed to match the existing timber frame. One of the task’s most specifying features is its reuse of existing building products. More than 55 percent of the materials that would have been needed for a new structure were conserved through retention and repurposing. Key elements that were maintained consist of the primary wood structure, concrete floor slab, roofing structure, and internal concrete walls. Where products were gotten rid of, they were recycled within the task or elsewhere on website. Lumber aspects, for example, were repurposed for insulation, façades and furniture, while concrete components were recycled as paving and landscaping features.
New structural elements are developed to match the existing wood frame. Additional loads are carried by new lumber structures, guaranteeing that the initial structure is not overstressed. The new interventions are developed as a constant system rather than discrete additions, and according to Tate, represent “one big wood structure” integrated throughout the building. This method is likewise created to support versatility and long-lasting versatility, with areas able to be reconfigured gradually without jeopardizing the general coherence of the building.
The yards play an essential function organisational function with workspaces and shared locations, such as the foyer and snack bar, organized along brand-new internal exteriors.
Natural ventilation forms an essential component of the ecological strategy, supported by an automatic system of opening windows and rooflights. Air goes into through façade openings and exits through the roof via stack result, lowering the requirement for mechanical cooling. Mechanical systems are used selectively in locations where natural ventilation is insufficient, such as the model manufacturing and screening locations.
Thermal comfort is based on an adaptive comfort model, which permits seasonal variation and user interaction. The structure achieves a CO2 footprint of 4.6 kg CO2e/m TWO/ year, considerably below present and suggested Danish regulative limitations. The mix of courtyards and rooflights makes sure that all offices have access to natural light, minimizing the reliance on artificial lighting and supporting occupant health and wellbeing.
Overhanging eaves limitation solar gain on the courtyard facades.
Thoroughly thought about landscape design extends the architectural concept beyond the building envelope. Courtyards are planted with species that show the local ecology, while external areas have actually been reconfigured to prioritise nature over facilities. Concrete elements removed throughout building and construction are recycled as pathways and outdoor features, developing connection between building and site. The planting is planned to grow over time, and add to shading and microclimate regulation, further improving environmental performance.
Developed as a physical manifestation of VELUX’s research and sustainability culture, VELUX LKR Innovation Home not only shows the potential of deep retrofit but also highlights the significance of long-lasting thinking. As Tony sensibly notes, “Buildings are part of an ongoing procedure, and future adjustment is inevitable.”
Credits
Customer
VELUX Group
Designer
Praksis Arkitekter
Structural and civil engineer
Søren Jensen
Interior design
Spant Studio, Friis & Moltke, Kasper Mose
Landscape design
DETBLÅMain specialist KG Hansen Extra images