Belgian chemicals company Solvay has selected Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (SHL) to design a new headquarters building.
Situated on a 22-hectare site, the eight-storey volume with have an open, fluid interior, schemed to promote collaborative work practices. Features
include a large, bright atrium, a roof garden and a landscaped plaza. The ground floor will house an entrance lobby, a cafe and the Solvay Experience
Centre; the next two floors will contain laboratories and workshops; then there will be levels given over to The Meeting Centre, a recreational space
where employees can gather to relax and communicate informally; the top four storeys will hold offices. “In the earliest stages, it became clear that
one compact building with one common entrance into a sweeping atrium would allow everyone who passes through the headquarters to share the
same unique experience of the building, and create a strong sense of belonging,” says SHL partner Tiago Pereira. “We translated Solvay’s desire
for a welcoming, innovative, sustainable headquarters into an architecturally bold statement that reflects its core values and creates a new identity.”
Working with SHL are Belgian firms Modulo Architects, VK Architects & Engineers, and landscapers Ontwerpbureau Pauwels. The building is
expected to be completed by October 2021.COMPANY HQ – BRUSSELS
Brits Benoy and the Hong Kong China Travel Service (HKCTS)
have teamed up to work on the Ningbo If Mall in the Chinese east
coast city. Situated in the Jiangbei district, the L-shaped shopping
centre will have a gross floor area of 46,000 sqm, much of which
will be occupied by high-end fashion boutiques. There will also
be a sports club, supermarket, cinema, business centre and a
children’s zone. Throughout the programme will be a number of
green spaces. “We were excited by the landscaping opportunities
offered by the client and this site,” says Benoy director Qin Pang.
“Our design introduces an urban public park between the west
side of the development and the major municipal road, as well as
smaller landscaped pockets throughout the scheme to create a
greener environment for the people visiting as well as working and
living within the wider development.” The project is the second
collaboration between the British architectural practice and HKCTS.MALL – NINGBO
<QSPKFDUOFXT>hinge 275_