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BeCentral

Maxime De Campenaere Studio

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'The Galaxy' - Multifunctional Space - Maxime De Campenaere
'The Galaxy' - Multifunctional Space - Maxime De Campenaere
'The Galaxy' - Multifunctional Space - Maxime De Campenaere
'The Galaxy' - Multifunctional Space - Maxime De Campenaere

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Sponsor
Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Co-Working Space
6.43
7.07
7.14
6.00
6.66
Jasper Blüm
Jasper Blüm Senior Designer at Colliers
Great attempt to combine existing,...
7
7
8
7
7.25
Anastasia Karandinou
Anastasia Karandinou Architect, Senior Lecturer at University of East London
7
7
8
6
7
William Barrington-Binns
William Barrington-Binns Director of Photography at WBB & Co.
6
7
7
6
6.5
Johnny Chiu
Johnny Chiu Founder at J.C. Architecture
7
7
8
6
7
Corien Pompe
Corien Pompe Chairman and Founder at Donna e Mobile
6
7
7
7
6.75
Bret Recor
Bret Recor Founder & Creative Director at Box Clever
7
7
8
7
7.25
Chen Xiaohu
Chen Xiaohu Cofounder and Brand Director at BloomDesign
7
7
6
6
6.5
Joanna van der Linden
Joanna van der Linden Global Retail Identity & Design Manager at Nestlé Nespresso
6
8
7
5
6.5
Han Wenqiang
Han Wenqiang Founder, Chief and Associate Professor at ARCHSTUDIO and School of Architecture Central Academy of Fine Arts
6
6
6
7
6.25
Jason Traves
Jason Traves Chief Creative Officer at Lucky Fox
6
6
6
5
5.75
Avşar Gurpinar
Avşar Gurpinar Assistant Professor at Istanbul Bilgi University
Very refreshing!...
7
8
9
7
7.75
Richard Parr
Richard Parr Founder at Richard Parr Associates
6
9
6
2
5.75
Li Baolong
Li Baolong Cofounder and Creative Director at BloomDesign
6
7
7
6
6.5
Stefano Giussani
Stefano Giussani CEO at Lissoni New York
6
6
7
7
6.5
Client
BeCentral
Floor area
3500 ㎡
Completion
2020

Becentral is a new digital campus located in Brussels Central Station. Co-founded and backed by more than 60 entrepreneurs including Tech schools and NGO’s, its mission is to make everyone an actor of the digital revolution. It’s a place to learn technologies, grow a startup and impact society. The Studio transformed the 3500 m2 of the former administrative offices of the Belgian railway company into a vibrant and inspiring campus where people could thrive and share experiences. The design focusses on the creation of several atmospheres in order to help people finding their way in the vast and labyrinth-like building by visual cues and to provide a variety of places that suits everyone’s activity and mood. As a socially oriented project where spaces are for rent at a very competitive price, in order to attract a wide variety of entrepreneurs, the design had to respect a tight budget. First Maxime De Campenaere and his team focused on the layout in order to get rid of the unnecessary. New partitions were reduced to the minimum according to a strong analysis of the program. False ceilings were removed and concrete slabs were kept visible everywhere as well as bricks and plaster imperfections. In addition to reduce the costs, this direction allowed the project to have a better environmental footprint and a visual guideline along the different spaces. The designers made then the choice to focus on some iconic rooms. Since the use of expensive materials or custom-made elements had to be limited, a strong research was made on color schemes as a way to give the project a strong personality in the given budget. Some construction materials were turned away from their original purpose such as bricks that were here installed in timber framed partitions integrating light stripes. ‘The Galaxy’ room is focusing on spatial exploration with its deep blue background color and coppered panels. Tables are suspended and the floor represents a field of asteroids. ‘The Garden’ is designed as a lush garden where people can have a meeting or work together in a collaborative space. ‘The Innovation Room’ can be reserved by the residents to brainstorm – glass panels were specially designed for this purpose. Yoga mats and swings surrounded by bucolic flowers were designed for residents to relax in between the sessions. All those different ambiances come together as a playful maze that is expanding constantly.