5_DiscoverBenelux_Issue18_June_2015_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 26/05/2015 16:24 Page 35
Discover Benelux & France | Special Theme | Architecture and Urbanism
have to make compromises, for example due to regulations set by the authorities, but the outcome needs to be a building of good quality and one that we ourselves would like to live in. It also needs to make us and our client's progress and develop further. That is our objective at all times.” The little chaos mirrored in the asymmetry of many projects is therefore a very controlled process which architecture WeB carefully thinks through.
A head start on saving energy “On the current architecture market it becomes increasingly important to consider a building’s energy efficiency,” observes Welter. A practical implementation of this concept is the so-called passive house, which is an international standard applied to a building that runs on ultra-low energy supplies and thus significantly reduces its ecological footprint. The concept of a passive house can be applied to both residential and public buildings as well as new or refurbished projects. Having recognised the importance early on, the
creative minds at architecture WeB are nowadays regarded as leading experts in this field. “To stay up to date and expand our knowledge, our team continuously takes part in the newest trainings and courses regarding this subject matter,” says Welter. “We also try to come up with innovative techniques in order to find the right balance between our architectural identity, the wishes of our clients concerning their quality of life and the ideal energetic conditions.” This commitment has paid off: architecture WeB is now allowed to call itself ‘certified passive house designer’, a classification which was awarded to the company by the renowned Passivhausinstitut Darmstadt in Germany.
Looking ahead: the industry’s future Evidence that the architect’s office is on the right track is mirrored in the various awards the company has won such as the Bauhärepräis, Stahlbaupreis or Prix d’excellence Fiabci. “It makes us proud to
know if our project has succeeded both in terms of functionality and contentment by users and external parties,” smiles Welter. The success story continues with the brand new office building that the architects moved into at the beginning of the year. visitors can marvel at the asymmetric masterpiece at open house days. For the architects themselves, their ‘show house’ offers the ideal environment to further refine their innovative ideas for the future. “We notice that computer-aided design becomes more important,” explains Welter. “Another trend is that projects and infrastructure are getting larger in general.” In this respect, the Luxembourg architects also occasionally take an admiring look across the channel: “British architecture makes great use of technical detailed solutions and increasingly implements sustainable architecture by means of the BREEAM concept.” www.archi-web.lu
Issue 18 | June 2015 | 35