FACET UTRECHT
A sparkling crystal along the A2 motorway
Dutch FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Award 2011-2012
Nomination Glass Award 2010
A building like a crystal
Together with The Wall and Hessing's Cockpit buildings, the Facet office building is part of an extraordinary string of buildings along the A2 motorway that functions as a sound barrier for the adjacent residential district Leidsche Rijn. And just like the other two buildings, Facet is a striking structure that offers passing drivers a dynamic view, thanks to its facade of triangular glass panes. When driving by, the shape of the building - resembling a giant cut crystal - creates a lively play of ascending and descending lines with each facet reflecting a different part of the sky. The crystalline structure also allowed us to vary the height of the 200 metres long building in one flowing movement. On one side, the building is 39 metres high and has a varied and angled shape that slides seamlessly into the elongated middle part, to end in the remarkable tail that stretches towards The Wall.
Pleasant working environment
The building has a relatively simple basic structure consisting of prefab concrete columns and floors with a column-free span of 14.4 metres, which gives a lot of freedom in determining the office layout. To be able to build the crystal-shaped facade with tilting facets, the outside of the building consists of a steel frame with custom profiles that have deep grooves to absorb any play of the glass panes. The transparent glass facade consists of four layers of glass which ensures the interior is pleasantly quiet. The glass facade moves along the edge of the floor, often at an angle. To prevent heat from accumulating behind the glass, the warm air is extracted through the gap along the edge of the floor.
Multiple users
Two spacious atriums provide access to the different parts of the building. The atriums serve as sound barriers and can be regarded as sheltered outdoor areas, directly on the motorway. Surrounding the atriums are the management offices, while large open office spaces are situated along the outer facade.
The building has been designed to accommodate multiple users. The current tenants, Mediq and Oracle, each use one of the atriums as their entrance to the 12,000 square metres they each occupy. The wide floors are suitable for various office concepts. Mediq, for instance, uses a combination of traditional office spaces and open floor plans, while Oracle has embraced the New Way of Working, making use of flexible workplaces.
Sheltered entrance square
The Facet building is U-shaped, creating a sheltered entrance square facing the residential district that gives access to the various parts of the building. The design also comprises an extension of another 12,000 square metres that has not yet been build, which would further enclose the square. Below the raised square are 450 parking places for employees, while visitors can park on the square. The facade facing the square is not made of glass, but has champagne-coloured cladding of etched stainless steel sheets, that changes colour under the influence of the changing daylight. The technical installations have been embedded in the silver-grey plastic coated roof. The especially designed window washing installation has been hidden from sight in a similar way to ensure that nothing interrupts the smooth roof edge of the building.
Sustainability and quality
The A energy label indicates the building's energy performance is excellent. This is the result of a favourable orientation of the building, long term underground thermal energy storage in combination with heat pumps and low temperature heating, efficient lighting systems with daylight controls and presence detection, and energy efficient ventilation systems. In addition, the building does not emit CO2 as the building's systems do not make use of natural gas.
The building has been awarded the Dutch FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Award 2011-2012 which underlines the general quality of the design and construction of the building.
