Garden laboratory

The client for the Garden Laboratory is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of fragrances and flavors. Their products are used in many foods, perfumes and detergents. The development laboratory will expand in the near future. The existing headquarters, built in the 1970s, is characterized by its detached location on a plot with a rich natural vegetation.

The office building has three floors. A basement half sunken in the garden and on top two floors that seem to merge into one due to the large bronze mirroring façade. Because of the mirroring effect, the existing building blurs visually with its natural surroundings.

Strengthening the existing relationship between building and nature was the starting point of the design of the new extension of the building. The half sunken first floor is expanded, creating a big plateau, and creating the illusion that the top two floors of the building are placed on top of the plateau. The roof of the extension becomes the main entrance, on the same location as the existing entrance. In the plateau, workplaces and laboratories are housed in a big open interior. Patios provide the plateau with daylight and give employees the opportunity to get some fresh air without leaving the secured environment of the building. Because of the half sunken positioning of the plateau, all working places have an atmosphere where concentration is possible, but at the same time it is also possible to remain visually connected with the sky, plants and trees of the surroundings: the inspiration and ingredients of the company.