Eco-Friendly Building with Horizontal Fins


Amsterdam-based architects UNStudio have completed one of the most sustainable large office buildings in Europe. DUO is the new headquarters for the Dutch national tax offices and the student loan administration in Groningen, the Netherlands. The 300 ft (92 m) building has a facade covered in horizontal fins to provide shade and reduce the need for artificial cooling. The structure includes 2,500 work stations, underground parking for 1,500 bicycles and 675 cars, and a public park.

“We paid a great deal of attention to how people would move through the building,” says UNStudio Co-founder Ben van Berkel. “The office spaces are designed in such a way that they do not create simple linear corridors leading to dead ends, but instead each corridor has a route which introduces a kind of landscape into the building. You can take endless walks through the building, where there is a great deal of transparency, also towards the surrounding landscape.”










UNStudio website
via [Designboom], [Dezeen]

Eugene Kim

Eugene Kim is the Editor-in-Chief of My Modern Met. In May, 2008, he co-founded the website to create one big city that celebrates creative ideas. His mission is to promote a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.
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