HASSELT - Office HAtric in Hasselt is the perfect combination of economy, ecology and emotion.
“If architecture does not contribute to the happiness and welfare of people, for what does it serve ...” (Juul Vanleysen, architect)
"The building is named similar to a “hat trick” in sports where a football player makes three consecutive goals", explains architect Juul Vanleysen. In this scenario, the building is based on three pillars.
The first is ecology. "We have built a sustainable building using very little energy. The HAtric building consumes four times less energy than standard office buildings, without compromising comfort”, explains the architect.
It has also taken economy into consideration. "The building was completed within budget. That a sustainable building would be more expensive, is a complete misconception. But we have also built flexibility, so the building can go for a very long time and can be adapted to the needs of users over time."
The third and final leg is the emotion. "We have built in a way that people here can feel good, that you feel your heart beat a little faster here. We feel that absenteeism due to illness among employees will be less here. Of course we did not measure it yet, but we already examined it in other buildings."
The key component of the façade is the Architectural Woven Wire Mesh DOKAWELL-TRIPLE, designed, engineered and manufactured by Haver & Boecker. This specific mesh is made of BEKINOX - PET coated Stainless Steel Wire, a new development of NV BEKAERT SA, Zwevegem/Belgium. Its weather resistance has been successfully tested, so the material offers longevity which again meets the expectations of the architect. The mix of gold and copper coloured wires, and the transparency of 66% gives the façade its homogenous character and follows the aesthetic holistic of the building without significantly compromising the view from the inside through the windows.
More than 400 mesh elements with different panel heights were manufactured in 1.20 m width. Both vertical sides of the panels have been bended 90° and tensioned into the substructure.
