projects | Viabizzuno progettiamo la luce

the building is home to a company famous worldwide for the production of the original beemster cheese and is located within the beemster polder, the first dutch polder to be created from a lake, drained using windmills in 1612. this distinction caused the site to be declared a unesco world heritage site in 1999. the beauty and character of the polder played an important role in the architectural design of the building and in the recent new external lighting project. the building has a double-skin façade, internal and external, on either side of the concrete structure. the outer layer of the façade consists entirely of panels of polycarbonate and insulated glass, so the building appears as a transparent skin, where only the edges of the glass panels break the continuity. the choice of glass was dictated by the wish to make the interior - the boiler, machinery and production processes - visible to all passers-by. another important aspect was to harmonise the building façade with the light reflected from the grey sky. the result is a structure that, depending on where it is viewed from, can either be welcoming and visible to the observer right into the interior or else, when its glazed surfaces reflect the grey light of the sky, can take on a more abstract and atmospheric form. even the artificial lighting along the outer perimeter is consistent with the character of the building and reflects its function, while respecting the environment in which it is located. both the columns and the white underside of the roof are constructed of glue laminated timber; the high mechanical strength of this material, together with its light weight, made it possible to create a very large surface area without sacrificing aesthetic or amenity values, also providing greater architectural versatility for the installation of lighting appliances. the ceiling acts as a reflector and makes it possible to achieve a pale yellow coloured light, reminiscent of a slice of cheese lit by a candle. the role of the candle is played by the columns, lit on one side only with special m44 downlights. alongside these are c2 led grazing light fittings. to emphasise the length of the building, the light intensity increases toward the outer corners; illumination levels are achieved by increasing or decreasing the number of light fittings on the columns and ceiling and imitating the effect of light and shade created on a carefully folded slice of cheese.