Two Materials
The notion of “double” permeates the whole design process,
including the façade design.
The building is covered in a ventilated “skin” made of two
materials, i.e. black concrete and black glass.
The prefabricated concrete walls and the glazed front cells
alike are horizontal, 4 meters wide and 70 centimeters high. All
elements are connected with the same method, i.e. 20 millimeters
wide open joints. This gap element governs all installations of
the front parts, groundline and skyline, horizontal and vertical
separations, change in materials, and corner solutions.
by one color getting degraded as it relates with the surrounding
grass, tarmac, manufacturing plants, the sky and the people.
Black concrete is also the main feature of the most important area
inside the building: the entrance hall has a large black-on-black
terrazzo floor, a “liquid” element helping mirror and connect the
two green courtyards together.
Functional Specifications
The new headquarters cover an area of about 2,800 square
meters above the ground, and of about 1,400 square meters
underground. They consist of two longitudinal volumes, oriented
east to west, with an overall width of 7.80 meters, and different
heights and lengths.
The two blocks merge through a central volume serving as hall/
reception, waiting area and functional connection of all areas.
Thanks to the subtle nuances created by four different types of
glass and five different types
of concrete, the building
maintains the rigorous shape
and layout of an industrial
facility. Then, it will not stand
out from the context because
of its shape, but only because
of the lightness generated All open spaces are lined with hedgerows of black poplars, which
serve as standing “landmarks”
to match the front wall
panels. The hedgerow contour
alternatively moves towards
the inner or outer boundary of
the area to hide the car park
or highlight the perspective
views.
THE buildinG iS Covered in a
ventilated “skin” mAdE Of TwO
mATEriAlS, i.E. blAck cOncrETE
And blAck GlASS.
The black skin of Faber building is a product of the designers’
research on abstraction. Although the building is about 100 meters
long, it looks “small” as compared to other huge industrial plants.