blue glass mosaic overlays maritime scientific research building in belgium

InnovOcean Campus by evr-architecten stands tall in Ostend

Ghent-based architectural studio evr-architecten plans the InnovOcean campus in Ostend, Belgium, merging a new office and research building. The project centralizes the maritime research activities of ILVO, VLIZ, introducing a receptive function as a conference center. The design expresses the ambition of both research institutes to collaborate as much as possible in an interdisciplinary manner and to share facilities and knowledge. The structure sets up a densely stacked volume with a pedestal of public functions on the new ‘Watertorenplein’, a rational office tower of 7 stories that demarcates the square. A zone with labs and logistics services develops behind the main edifice. The multi-leveled construction covers up in blue glass mosaic materiality referencing the marine theme.

all images by Stijn Bollaert

the theme of sea and water is prominent in the design

The building forms a low-column structure designed as an open frame planning different program points. Shaping the head of a new development between the water tower and Fort Napoleon in Ostend, at the crossroads between the ‘Vuurtorenwijk’ and the ‘Oosteroever’, the project combines a technical research program with an important public and urban anchor function. The imposing volume by the evr-architecten design studio stands out due to its profile, plinth, and uncommon materiality, forming the pivot between the lighthouse district and the eastern bank.

The theme of sea and water is literally and figuratively reflected in the choice of materials. The smooth outer shell covers the structure with a blue glass mosaic. The color palette of floors and joinery refers to the white-yellow-gold of sea sand. The public functions are interlinked inside the plinth. The restaurant has an indoor terrace at the top of the building with a view of the North Sea. A simple intervention that nevertheless gives the robust volume recognizability in the Ostend skyline.

the structure’s smooth outer shell is covered entirely with a blue glass mosaic

the multi-level edifice stands on an elongated pedestal supporting the robust volume

the plinth on the lower volume of the building arranges public functions

white tones and minimal materiality adorns the interior

the building partners an office space and a research building with laboratories

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project info:

name: InnovOcean
designer: evr-architecten | @evrarchitecten
location: Ostend, Belgium

photography: Stijn Bollaert

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom