commission
The task was to select an architect to create a new head office for the De Keuken Group (following the merger of Keller and Bruynzeel) by transforming the existing Bruynzeel complex in Bergen op Zoom. The existing Bruynzeel complex consists of production buildings with a small section housing a supporting office function, a canteen, a showroom and a museum. The programme to be added includes office functions, showrooms and a new canteen.


design
The current walkways in the existing factory provide the logistical starting points for the new programme required. In this programme, the offices, the showrooms, the museum, the shop and the canteen are arranged in a line on the south-eastern side of the H. Between the factory and the new programme lies a new walkway. Connecting this walkway directly to the glazed façade of the production line will not only create a logistical link but the new programme will also form a visual entity with the factory.

In the tradition of Keller and Bruynzeel, it was decided that the building should have a light and transparent look. As a result, the façades will be constructed using a varying rhythm of window frames fitted with glass, diffuse glass or solid panels. The recess at the entrance and the variety in terms of height makes the new building strikingly different to the factory without them competing with each other