projects | Viabizzuno progettiamo la luce

the headquarters of intraco ltd are located in a central position close to the de schelde river in the heart of antwerp; the company’s home is in an important nineteenth century neoclassic building restored to serve as its offices. a member of the european ‘group de ceuster’ agro-business, intraco ltd is one of the largest suppliers of protein concentrates, premixes, protein meals and feed raw materials. in 2013 the anversa studio designed the space for offices to create a semi open plan but functional layout with a timeless beauty and elegance. the space has been divided following a pattern of wooden ‘blocks’ that is seemingly random, but actually is based on the company’s organization chart and inspired by the architecture of the area. a design, by the antwerp studio, totally focused on reducing volumes to their basic forms: along a rough concrete floor, ribbed wooden structures in oak are elegantly positioned to separate the various company departments. designed with different heights and widths, using proportions inspired by the rules of the golden ratio, the volumes of the wooden structures are made to stand out in the white, neutral space in which they are contained, an environment bathed entirely in natural light. the grain of the wood mimics the verticality of the pillars and contributes to increasing the feeling of spaciousness, making it even more dramatic and theatrical: the effect created is breathtaking yet it respects and preserves the atmosphere of intimacy for the 20 employees. great care and attention has been paid to the choice of materials and to their combination: bare concrete, oak wood, plastered walls and ceilings. all the technology is combined into independent and self-supporting blocks: ventilation, air conditioning, electricity, computer equipment, plumbing systems and… lighting! in collaboration with kurve lichttechniek and vbobenelux, the lighting has been designed to work in partnership with natural light. the criterion adopted was to not consider the light fittings as decorative elements simply mounted on ceilings or walls, but to design them to obtain and improve the correct light: a light that, on the one hand can illuminate the working space in a homogeneous and functional way, on the other can at the same time give a theatrical effect to the space, highlighting, shaping the space and the architectural elements and the furnishings; it all depends on the light source. the light fittings themselves were chosen not to be invasive in a space that already features high quality finishes. given the need to also have clear light suitable for working in, it became necessary to set up a varied system of lighting. a combination of c2 and tom spotlights was used on the upper part of the cupboards. the tom spotlights were mounted on a 3 phase track system. the office has become a lively and enjoyable place of work, both for employees and for visitors.