GLASS FOR FACADE 2022

GLASS FOR FAÇADE - EDITION 2022 - 57 56 - GLASS FOR FAÇADE - EDITION 2022 MIXED USE SUPERHUB MEERSTAD A MARKETPLACE FOR THE FUTURE: SUSTAINABLE, FLEXIBLE, URBAN Location Vossenburglaan 184-186, Groningen, NL Architect De Zwarte Hond, Groningen/Rotterdam/Köln Glass processor Vandaglas Emmen/Radeburg/Berlin Façade maker Aluminium Ramenfabriek Alraf B.V. Photos ©Ronald Tilleman for De Zwarte Hond Awards Canadian Wood Design & building Award, category : non-residential The new Meerstad planned district on the outskirts of the Dutch provincial capital of Groningen was to be given an attractive centre, a place that will thrive together with the burgeoning urban district, that will shape and strengthen it over the long term and enable a variety of social activities. The Groningen-based architecture firm “De zwarte Hond” developed the SuperHub, a multifunctional hall that represents an investment in the future of this new neighbourhood through the flexibility of its design and potential application. The SuperHub will initially be used as a supermarket and café. The building has a rectangular floor plan, rounded corners and is open and transparent on all sides. The interior is solely furnished with a two-storey cube to accommodate ancillary rooms for sanitary facilities and administration. Timber tree-like columns support a flat roof made of a diagonally arranged wooden lattice structure. The wide- spanned, 9-metre-high ceiling gives the building a lightweight appearance, enhancing its inviting character. The flat, landscaped roof with insect garden and solar collectors extends 5.4 metres beyond the glazed façade to provide all- weather outdoor activity areas. The 9-metre-high glass façade is set between the tree-like columns and forms the SuperHub’s vertical exterior shell. Movable horizontal louvres provide glare protection and create a fine linear structure on the façade. Each of the 9 x 11 metre façade panels has a door opening, with a main entrance located on the north façade. The circular façades were created with highly selective COOL-LITE® XTREME 70/33 II from Saint-Gobain Glass. The glass elements combine several functions including sun and heat protection, sound insulation and security. In this project, another Saint-Gobain solution has been installed: Isover Sonepanel for sound insulation of partition walls.