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| Trespa Virtuon for Stella Maris  Trespa Virtuon in an array of colours is used for stunning wall cladding in a hygiene sensitive application at a catering school in Antwerp, Belgium. Hotel School Stella Maris in Merksem, Antwerp, has a strong reputation for outstanding professional education. Pupils in their late teens receive training in catering, focusing on cookery and serving skills. The complex has five separate kitchens, used for training and catering purposes for both staff and students. The school is part of a complex that was built in the 1940s and has undergone many alterations over the years. Recently it was decided to start a full renovation programme, ranging from a new façade to a complete overhaul of the interior, covering both the ground and upper floors. Local Architectural company "Architectenburo Schoonbaert" was invited to submit a full design for the renovation programme. Architect Tjen Schoonbaert explains that as the school's new façade uses a daring red colour scheme, it was decided to continue the use of strong colours throughout the main entrance and corridors. Trespa Virtuon was selected because of its deep, bright colours, and its excellent fit with the other materials used. Tjen Schoonbaert: "The building is used intensively at most times of the day, so hygiene and durability were also a key requirements." Having worked with Trespa Virtuon before in hospital projects, Mr. Schoonbaert was aware of the outstanding hygiene qualities and durability of the material. Trespa Virtuon was applied in such a way that internal doors and windows are fully fitted into the chosen colour scheme. The very strong colour scheme used for the 35 metre long ground floor corridor is enhanced by the natural light, which falls through newly installed skylights. Colour was an important consideration, and it was Tjen Schoonbaert who suggested using strong primary colours in a "random" pattern for the ground floor corridor. The colour blocks create a very vivid background in what is a busy environment – and the overall effect is appealing, especially to students, who say the playful interior demonstrates that their school dares to be different from other schools by being less institutionalised. Mr. Schoonbaert: "As an Architect you need to come up with practical and innovative solutions. In this case it took some time for the customer to agree – it is gratifying to see that they did dare to make this decision. And whilst we may have discussed the colour scheme, the choice of Trespa Virtuon was not in question, thanks to its proven low maintenance. The extensive use of Trespa panels in healthcare facilities clearly demonstrates the material's inherent qualities." "On the upper floors, used for study and administrative purposes, we used a more subdued colour scheme – still in Trespa Virtuon. We designed the wall panelling around the existing doors and window frames. The Virtuon panels allowed us to create a lay-out specifically designed for each space – and every panel was allocated its specific location. Installation is relatively simple and straightforward. We had a clear and well-measured installation plan. This had been developed on the computer and it was interesting to see how the PC generated blueprint came very close to the final installation, both in terms of colour and intensity." write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Construction News :: home page |