Sigmax, Glass Palace | SENSO | THINK UNITED

Sigmax Story by Paul de Ruiter Architects

Sigmax

• Architects

Situated in the Business & Science Park in Enschede, opposite the FC Twente stadium (the Grolsch Veste) and the railway station, is the new head office designed for ICT company Sigmax by Architectenbureau Paul de Ruiter: a prominent, streamlined architectural structure. The uninterrupted glass facade ensures that sufficient daylight can enter the building, creating a pleasant working environment and direct contact with the surroundings. Inside the building, Ex Interiors has managed to retain and even emphasise this open character.

SIGMAX Sigmax is a specialist ICT company which provides innovative mobile solutions for, among other things, the enforcement and monitoring tasks of municipal councils, police forces and public transport. Sigmax also creates and (remotely) manages the ICT infrastructure for businesses. The company wanted to merge the two different departments in a new office, with scope for further expansion. A fitting and sustainable working environment was created for Sigmax, a building that energises and inspires.

A SMART BUILDING The design of the building is based on the specific work process and organisational structure of Sigmax so that, based on the management philosophy of Eckart Wintzen, it can flexibly respond to every development in the rapidly changing ICT world. The cell office and the open work landscape in the building alternate to create a synergy between the various divisions, thus safeguarding the implementation of smart ICT solutions and products and related knowledge in the future.

The building has been designed in the form of a stacked pavilion, whose horizontal lines and spectacular glass facade with rounded corners highlight its spacious and transparent character. The slim, floating floors seem to extend outside and are only separated by the glass, minimising the visual boundary between indoors and outdoors. The extending floor areas are designed as a vegetal roof with moss growth, optimising the impression on each floor of working in a green environment. This reflects the landscape design at ground level; the outdoor design has also been based on a completely green environment around the building.

A CONNECTIVE BUILDING The design of Sigmax’ new building is very compact. The floors are organised as efficiently as possible, using a very flexible layout. This makes it possible to create cell offices as well as open office landscapes. The compact structure of the building, together with the atrium in the heart of the building, promotes the connection between floors and stimulates contact and ‘chance’ meetings between personnel. The aesthetics of the building’s architectural design primarily manifests itself in the spatial design of the white steel sculptural staircase, which dominates the double, welcoming entrance on the ground floor. This open and light space is used as (company) restaurant, presentation area and meeting place.

A SUSTAINABLE BUILDING The building has been rotated on the plot for an optimal position in relation to the sun. Each wall has its own climate concept and all the climate control is managed directly via the facade. The cantilevering of the floors varies according to the side of the building; for example on the south side they are a metre wide to act as shutters. At the bottom they have stainless steel panels which allow indirect light from the outside to penetrate deeper into the building. On each floor, optimal daylight enters the building, with a particular role for the atrium. The regulation of daylight and good climate control ensure a pleasant working environment. The forty-five centimetre high floors incorporate climate units, concrete core activation, sun protection and ventilation. All the installations are concealed where possible.

INTERIOR Inside the building, Ex Interiors has extended the open character of the building in order to optimally emphasise its spacious and transparent nature. Through the predominantly glass interior walls, there is a constant connection between indoors and outdoors. The few closed panel walls are covered with sound-absorbing wall coverings designed by Ex Interiors: strips of colourful felt in a matching colour combination made from recycled textiles from the car industry and old carpets that have been pressed together and felted. Strips were then cut from the felt and incorporated in the acoustic panels. The floors are partially carpeted, with a pattern specially designed for this project. The entire building is lit with sustainable LED lighting. The lighting fixtures, round disks in different diameters, are applied in a varying pattern throughout the building, which ensures surprising light effects, particularly in the evening.

Architectenbureau Paul de Ruiter, in partnership with Ex Interiors, has achieved a compact, sustainable and high quality office building. A building with appeal, in which architecture, interior design and material use are completely in balance.

Image gallery

Brand description

We are Paul de Ruiter Architects. A group of unconventional designers with a passion for sustainability and architecture. True beauty lies within. What matters to us is whether a building can make a positive contribution. Primarily to the people who live, work, and study in it. But also to the environment it inhabits; the air, the plants and animals, the city, the planet.

We are pioneers. For over thirty years, we have been designing and innovating buildings that add something significant. Therefore, we do not settle for easy answers and standard solutions. We are always working on the next step. How, and how quickly, can we make buildings Paris Proof? Can we reuse today's building materials in the future? Can we ensure that a building provides space for the plants and animals that were there before it was built? Can we design a building where people come out healthier than before they entered? How can we ensure buildings are made with healthy materials? Can we design a building that generates its own energy? In short, can we accelerate the revolution in construction? Innovation is embedded in our DNA. We always ask ourselves if things can be done differently. Better. Within our office, generally accepted views are repeatedly questioned. We gladly trade them for scientifically proven new insights and more sustainable alternatives. We create new standards.

Finally, we are genuinely involved with the clients, developers, consultants, and builders of our projects. Many of them we have known for years. We love to really listen to each other and challenge each other to find different perspectives, to come up with new ideas. What does that yield? Buildings that produce energy instead of consuming it - both technically and humanly. Cheerful buildings, moreover, that make everyone happy. Because there is plenty of daylight, healthy air, natural materials, and greenery. You can't see the advanced theories and proven techniques behind it, but you can feel them. We set the new standard. With our architecture and sustainable innovations, we shape the future.