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Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Belgium Architecture News - Dec 11, 2020 - 17:52   10914 views

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Belgian architecture studio MIA architecture has designed its own office building in Beaufays, Belgium, the small office volume is clad by mirrored panels to "disappear" in a lush environment and reflect its surrounding.

Named MIA’s Office, the 60-square-metre volume was designed as the extension of an existing house built in the 1970s in a heavily wooded environment, the building's architectural language is based on the existing base - which has white painted bricks, masonry heads, height. 

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

The building mainly contains an office space for MIA architecture, a meeting room, and technical rooms. A new volume was placed on this base, the architects call it as a "mirror box" that houses the professional functions. 

A box is a simple box that features a large window, a door and a window at the rear. Underneath of the base is used as a car park for architects. 

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

"This volume is covered with mirrored skin in order to "disappear" in its environment," said MIA architecture. 

"Thanks to the high reflection capacity of this cladding, the new building literally blends into the site. In an almost surreal way, the large square office bay gives the impression, from the garden, of immersion in the interior space, through a notch in the vegetation laid on a brick base." 

"The other windows are hidden behind the translucent skin (SGG Mirastar® glass) and are only visible after dark," the office added.

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Access is provided via a metal grating walkway, floating above a cloud of grasses, which leads to a wooden door uncovered by the extrusion of the mirror skin on the northwest corner. 

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

From the workspace, the wide opening onto the garden allows to reduce the inner/outer limit and to feel immersed in the direct environment.

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

The building was constructed in a wooden frame (I-beam) 30 to 36cm thick filled with insulation, which makes it particularly energy efficient. The use of this constructive principle also made it possible to reduce the construction time to a period of +/- 3 months.

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Site plan

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Plan

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Section

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Section

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Elevation

Office by MIA architecture is clad by mirrored panels to disappear in a lush environment in Belgium

Elevations

All images courtesy of MIA architecture

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