Notary Van Damme
Three notaries employ 24 employees in the Van Damme notary in Bruges. The building was designed around a number of essential spaces, such as auditoriums, meeting rooms, closed and open offices. This functional approach was aesthetically conceived to be reduced to its bare essentials. Minimal is combined with warmth, with an emphasis on line formation and proportions. The main materials that dominate both inside and outside are glass & concrete. The facade is largely glazed, alternately combined with concrete. Above the entrance, an overhanging glass cube provides shelter from the rain. The facade is a pattern of beam shapes in glass and concrete with well-considered proportions.
Photography by © Tim Van De Velde
The right facade, which also mainly consists of glass, is veiled by a play of random thin concrete slats. The secondary entrance is located between the slats. On the ground floor: the auditoriums, a multipurpose room, bar with kitchenette, an open office for administration, and also a closed office for 1 of the three notaries. The 2 other notary offices are located on the 1st floor behind the concrete slats. The library is partly contained in the overhanging glass volume. Photography by © Tim Van De Velde
Furthermore, a spacious landscape office offers space for most employees. The basement provides space for archive, storage & fitness. The underground space receives daylight via a skylight that borders on a patio at the rear facade. Th...