La Defense
Almere, Netherlands
UN Studio

Chameleon blends into its urban milieu

© Christian Richters

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Clad by a curtainwall of variegated mirror foil, the façade of this building changes color and intensity depending on the time of day, which includes a dappled rainbow palette of red, orange, blue, green, yellow, and purple. Its chameleon-like skin symbolizes the varied office uses within and is the perfect expression of an illusory plan and undulating building heights. But the riot of color reaches fever pitch only within the complex’s inner courtyard; by contrast, its street-facing elevations are more reflective of their urban surroundings.

Located in the Dutch city of Almere on a site behind the main train station and adjacent to a park, this 250,000-square-foot complex is comprised of two buildings and an underground parking facility. The buildings fit together like a backwards letter C clasped between the tines of the letter E. Only two openings lead visitors into a zig-zagging central courtyard, although the building’s main elevation facing the town contains entrances for individual tenants, increasing its attractiveness as a home for local businesses.

Four bands of windows wrap around all elevations of the buildings, but the vertical height creates an illusion as it varies from three, to four, five, and six stories. Some of the building’s upper floors, moreover, feature double-height rooms. This flowing, swelling mass accommodates a variety of office tenants, but a rational floor plan of the buildings helped keep construction cost down.

Formal name of Project:
La Defense

Location:
Almere, Netherlands

Gross square footage:
248,000 sq. ft. office space
162,000 sq. ft. underground parking

Total construction cost:
$38.3 million

Owner:
Eurocommerce, Deventer
www.eurocommerce.nl

Architect:
UN Studio
Stadhouderskade 113
Postbus 75381
1070 AJ Amsterdam
31-20-570-20-40 tel.
31-20-570-20-41 fax
info@unstudio.com
www.unstudio.com