Summary
Architects Storme Van Ranst have designed new offices for the coffee roaster Rombouts, which is centralising its activities near Antwerp. The company was founded more than one hundred years ago and is now the world leader in individual coffee filters. Comfort at work, quality and effectiveness were this client’s top priorities, whose devotion to its product demanded that the building ‘exude the warm friendliness of a cup of coffee’.
The architects therefore chose a residential form of architecture; at first sight the building looks more like a large, modern-looking villa with a number of apartments than an office building. Inside, the working areas are arranged around an extensive, bright atrium. This space is interrupted only by wide staircases and walkways which allow employees to circulate and communicate freely with each other. In order to accentuate the residential character of the building, particular materials were used: limestone, marble and various types of wood, with the pitched roof in copper.
More than 220 people are now accomodated in this pleasant new ‘residence’, working on a remarkable product and building the future of their business.