stark geometries define govaert & vanhoutte architects' concrete notary office in belgium

govaert & vanhoutte architects has designed an office building for the van damme notary in bruges, belgium, with an emphasis on line formation and stark geometries. reduced to its bare essentials, the building is characterized by a strong presence of concrete on its exterior, combined with large glass surfaces that bring ample light to the interior. concrete is also repeated inside, combined with wood, natural stone, carpet and white backgrounds to create spaces with the right contrasts between cold & warm, light & dark.all images © tim van de velde

govaert & vanhoutte architects has developed the notary building around a number of essential spaces, such as auditoriums, meeting rooms, closed and open offices. its exterior combines concrete with a largely glazed façade, characterized by a pattern of beam shapes with well-considered proportions. the right façade, which also mainly consists of glass, is veiled by a play of random thin concrete slats. an overhanging glass cube above the entrance provides shelter from the rain, while a secondary entrance is located between the slats.

the van damme notary consists of three notaries that employ 24 employees. the ground floor of the office building includes the auditoriums, a multipurpose room, bar with kitchenette, an open office for administration, and a closed office for one of the three notaries. the two other notary offices are located on the first floor behind the concrete slats, while a library is partly contained in the overhanging glass volume.

the concrete of the outer shell is also present inside, combined with wood, natural stone, carpet and white backgrounds. its grey tone is softened by the dark shades of the furniture and carpet, which, together with sober lighting, create a calm, serene atmosphere. the large openings bring ample natural light inside the office spaces while offering views toward the green exterior from any room.

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project info:

name: notary office

architect: govaert & vanhoutte architects

location: bruges, belgium

photography: tim van de velde