Creativity, Sustainability and Visibility
Handpicked shipping containers from the port of Antwerp were turned into office space for printing office Drukta and mailing company Formail.
When the two companies moved their businesses into a former textile warehouse in Kortrijk, Belgium, they wanted a creative concept for their offices, one that would leave an imprint in their clients’ memories. Following Drukta and Formail’s request for an original solution that fitted their budget and needs, design duo Matthieu Bellens and Olivier Caluwier – co-founders of Belgian studio Five AM – thought that the integration of offices into shipping containers would be the ideal way to organize space in the 4000-sq-m warehouse.
According to the designers, ‘silo mentality had to make way for optimal transparency of both companies.’ The 13 containers used were efficiently organized so that the offices are connected to the machines area on the work floor. Furthermore, big windows and steel staircases add to this “visibility and approachability” theme.
The contrast between the colours of the containers and the warehouse’s concrete, the designer’s clever use of space and materials, and the different finishings of the offices, all contribute to a dynamic and singular image of the two companies.
Another feature that distinctly makes the warehouse the companies’ own is that some of the containers have been made partly visible from the outside, allowing natural light to flood the office space and adding distinction to the façade.
Images courtesy of Thomas De Bruyne via Frameweb
