Former organ workshop illustrates innovative design methodology

The approach of the recently completed new headquarters for Greenpeace Belgium in Brussels illustrates the innovative design methodology of the architecture and research practice archipelago, with offices in Brussels, Leuven, Paris and Barcelona. The office integrates four pillars from the start of the design process: sustainability, programming, experience and economy, and this is clearly visible in the renovation and transformation of an old organ workshop, ‘Manufacture d'Orgues de Bruxelles’.

The new 2,300 m² headquarters of Greenpeace Belgium can be found in a densely built-up block in Laeken. Archipelago's intention was to reveal the hidden qualities of this industrial building and then incorporate them into the design process.

The architects explain further: “To achieve our goal, we applied a ‘matchmaking’ method in which we look at the programming of a project in an innovative way. First, the existing structures were analysed, as well as the internal and external climates of the project, after which they were ‘matched’ to the specific activities of Greenpeace, from meetings to wall climbing, to achieve a low-tech and high-quality working environment.”

Unusual mix of atmospheres

We learn how it all began with a careful study of the site on ‘Vergotedok’, in the canal zone of Brussels. There, they found a special mix of atmospheres, with a studio hidden behind typical Brussels terraced houses, with an open view of the water and cement silos on the other side. These were historic buildings in a hyper diverse neighbourhood.

“To preserve this mix of atmospheres, ‘sufficiency’ became the guiding concept during the design process”, our interviewees continue. “This means that we first looked at what was already available, in terms of space, structures and energy. Then we applied various strategies to use ‘just enough’ of these for the specific activities that take place in the new head office.”

“In order to preserve the existing structures as much as possible, we only looked at the safety criteria of the load-bearing elements and not the conventional standard that does not allow for any flexibility, which only impacts the external appearance of these elements. For energy consumption, we applied an adaptive comfort model. This model can adapt to the outdoor climate and the different occupancy rates of the interior spaces, and can thus also allow for certain peak values throughout the year without disrupting daily operations.”

Familiarisation days

We have already discussed the importance of experience, and the Greenpeace project was no different. The co-creation process for this project began with a number of familiarisation days in the former Greenpeace offices and the Rainbow Warrior ship in Ostend. There, the team observed the various activities and types of work, listened to spontaneous feedback and distributed a survey to collect data on the different profiles that work at Greenpeace: permanent staff, volunteers, activists and contacts at other local organisations. The permanent staff clearly asked for more interaction with the other profiles to create a more dynamic atmosphere.

“We opted for an activity-based approach. We distinguished between different work activities: formal meetings, informal meetings, focussed work, making phone calls, eating, creating and climbing. We tried to make the spaces linked to these activities as accessible as possible for the different profiles and we also connected them to each other via the central courtyard.”

“Sharing these spaces by Greenpeace and local organisations can support social interaction and promote a sense of community. In addition to aligning the programme with Greenpeace's activities, we sought to manage the shared spaces efficiently by clustering activities and taking into account shared facilities and important acoustic barriers. This created a working environment where, if desired, multiple activities can take place and coincide at the same time.”

Low impact on the environment, high impact on architecture

Low environmental impact ideally means high architectural emphasis. The choice to preserve, renovate and transform is not only made to limit embodied carbon, it is also a design challenge to play on the phenomenon of incremental bricolage in the diverse spatial qualities of the project.

“After adjusting the existing structures and indoor climates to specific activities, we made a number of obvious choices. For example, converting the old organ workshop into a workplace for Greenpeace activists or placing the guest rooms in the front row houses. In addition, between the front and back of the project, we designed a sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces, public and private zones and more or less conditioned indoor climates, offering the Greenpeace team multiple spatial options for organising themselves.”

Use of air

“One important but invisible factor in our approach that we should definitely consider is the use of air. The ventilation is controlled separately for each room, allowing for a diverse use of the spaces, while also limiting the number of ventilation shafts and thus avoiding unnecessary structural interventions. We are also combining the ventilation system with a natural ventilation cooling strategy. A simple monitoring system opens and closes the windows automatically, based on the indoor and outdoor temperature, the wind and the CO2 level in the interior spaces. With just a little technological help, we maximised the potential of the existing spaces and optimised them for the next phase in the project's life cycle.”

All images © Stijn Bollaert