House of Quantum

complex programme, clear building 

Quantum technology demands laboratories with very specific requirements. For example, for laser research, rooms must be practically vibration-free. Because of this complex programme, House of Quantum was given a clear layout with three sections. The middle section is the connecting zone, with the shared meeting rooms, laboratories and workshops to the left and right. The ground floor, where the shared facilities are placed along the facade near the entrance, is the only deviation. The restaurant is well visible on the corner and on the other side of the entrance there will be a small exhibition area. You will also find the bicycle storage and the low-vibration laser laboratories on the ground floor, on their ingenious foundations.

plaza 

Daylight falls far into the building through the glass facade sections, shed roofs and stepped voids on all floors. A steel staircase, placed as a separate object diagonally in the space, leads from the hall to the first floor. There, a wooden tribune staircase leads to the floor above. The stairs act as a sloping square, with exactly the functions of a plaza in public space: you can sit down for a while, have something to eat, receive a group and have a meeting. The tribune staircase can be closed off to form a presentation room for 130 people. The square is where the routing within the building leads 'unnoticed' and where you can meet.

facade 

House of Quantum will have spectacular facades made of deep, aluminium cassettes and glass. A diagonal 'fold' gives the cassettes extra rigidity, reducing their thickness. The resulting triangular surfaces playfully reflect sunlight. The width and depth of the cassettes are tailored to the orientation of each facade; their shadow acts as a sunshade. At the large glass surface marking the entrance and at the glass lane at the rear facade, overgrown 'racks' keep out the sun.

interior 

The interior design of the two side sections is neutral, matching the multi-tenant function. In addition to offices, cryolabs, clean rooms and other workplaces will be located here. The choice of materials contrasts with the middle section and the shared meeting rooms, where wood predominates. Along the tribune staircase, a high curtain of a sound-absorbing, soft fabric hangs and there are cushions on the stairs. In the shared lobby on the second floor, a large amount of plants and loose furniture create a relaxed, informal atmosphere.

flexible and sustainable 

Through varying the width and depth of the facade sections, we reduce the heat load without the need for installations. With the design of House of Quantum, we are aiming for a BREEAM Excellent score - quite a challenge given the high vibration requirements. The building is designed to be as compact as possible, with a lot of functional useful area in relation to the facade area. The construction is sustainable because of the flexible floor plans: the layout can be adapted to the size of the company that rents a space there, the internal walls are demountable. House of Quantum has flexible floor fields even at the cryolabs, making this the first flexible laboratory building for quantum research.

Wherever possible, we made energy-saving and water-saving choices. For example, energy is recovered from blow-off air, inviting stairs limit the use of the lift, the solar panels on the roof are cooled by semi-high vegetation (making them about 10 per cent more effective) and there is a grey water buffer in the basement for flushing the toilets and irrigating the plants. In total, House of Quantum has 12.000 m² of total gross floor area spread over four floors. As it is a modular building, it can easily be extended by an additional 20% of floor space.

besparende keuzes 

Waar mogelijk maakten we energiebesparende en waterbesparende keuzes. Zo wordt energie teruggewonnen uit afblaaslucht, beperken uitnodigende trappen het gebruik van de lift, worden de zonnepanelen op het dak gekoeld met halfhoge vegetatie (waardoor ze zo’n 10 procent effectiever zijn) en bevindt zich in de kelder een grijswaterbuffer voor het doorspoelen van de toiletten en het irrigeren van de planten. In totaal beschikt House of Quantum over 12.000 m2 bruto vloeroppervlak, verdeeld over 4 bouwlagen. Omdat het een modulair gebouw is, kan het eenvoudig met 20% extra vloeroppervlak worden uitgebreid.