New construction Eyescan Eye Clinic, Utrecht | Eye for detail

Eyescan will open the doors of its new state-of-the-art ophthalmology center in Utrecht in mid-October. Unique to the 4,000 m² large building is that the facade does not show what is going on inside. An explicit wish of the client and playfully translated by Architectenburo Guido Bakker with facade panels in varying heights and specific detailing. A conversation with both the architect and the facade builder.

The new eye clinic consists of two closed building volumes connected by a glass atrium that houses the entrance. "Unlike usual, daylighting through the facade was of secondary importance for this project," begins project architect Hushmand Mahmoed. "Indeed, the consulting rooms and ORs benefit from as little daylight as possible. This resulted in a fairly closed facade for both building volumes. In order to give the façade some style, despite its closed nature, we came up with a horizontal articulation filled in with Kingspan façade panels in varying heights."

To give the façade some spice, despite its closed nature, a horizontal articulation was achieved with Kingspan façade panels in varying heights.

Chic composition

The Kingspan elements are playfully "stacked" on top of each other in alternating widths of 60, 90 and 100 centimeters. "In this way we manage to break the legibility of the floors behind," says Mahmoed. "The facade tells a different story than the spaces behind it. Only the waiting rooms are recognizable from the outside because of the large 'loopholes' in the facade that provide daylight into the waiting rooms. By the way, the Kingspan panels are not stacked directly on top of each other. Between each panel is a drip sill made of aluminum flashing in gold color. The facade panels are finished in the color Kingspan Van Dyke Brown (RAL 8014). Together with the gold-colored drip sills and the angled facets around the window frames, also in gold, they give the building an extremely chic appearance."

Prime

The specific façade construction and detailing of the panels, each with a drip sill in between, required the necessary attention during execution. "It is rightfully a special detail and, to my knowledge, the first project to be executed in this way," says Marcel Kampert of Hardeman Insulation, responsible for assembling the facade. "In the preliminary stages, we carefully coordinated the dimensions and details together with main contractor J.G. Timmer to avoid any surprises during execution and, above all, to achieve the intended interplay of lines. A special method was also developed to assemble the panel, including the drip sill, in a single pass. Because of the specific detailing and the height of the building (18 meters), we spent twenty weeks assembling it, considerably longer than usual, but inherent to the design."

"Compliments to Hardeman Insulation for the careful execution," says Mahmoed. "The rhythm of the horizontal play of lines is also reflected in the atrium's curtain wall, only positioned vertically." The end result is a feast for the eyes.