At the beginning of April, we visited the construction site of the laboratory in Willemstad. The team was working on the floor finishes for the laboratories. This new construction update highlights the recent developments on the second floor.
The 5500m2 building consists of a ground floor, first floor, second floor and technical rooms on the third floor. On the ground floor people can meet each other in shared spaces and where there is room for greenery. The ground floor continues to the outside creating a welcoming terrace to mark the main entrance. Within the new building there are different types of laboratories housed. On the first floor you find the pathology lab and the rest of the floor is used for office spaces. The second floor features the main research laboratories, for which the finishing screed floor was poured last month—visible in the latest photos.
New offices and meeting rooms
On the first floor, the meeting rooms and offices are beginning to take form as the glass walls are being installed. On all floors there will be various connections to the outside. For example, there will be a number of balconies where you can enjoy the fresh air and the great view between your meetings. Because life in the Caribbean is defined by living outdoors we see it as our task to bring that concept back even in an office building and laboratory. The balconies described above also facilitate the access to big size equipment that has to be replaced in the future. It’s exciting to see the building transition from a construction site into a real workplace—one where people will soon collaborate, innovate, and spend a significant part of their daily lives.
Transparency is key in our design. By integrating transparent elements, we create a welcoming environment that stimulates spontaneous encounters. This is reflected in several design choices, such as the transparent balustrades and elevator doors, open shared spaces, and these glass walls for the laboratories, offices and meeting rooms.
Choosing installations
Designing a laboratory means taking into account numerous safety measures. For example, we are creating sterile environments for specialized testing—such as biosafety-rooms. At the same time, we aim to ensure a comfortable indoor climate for both researchers and their equipment.
To that end, the laboratory will include advanced air conditioning systems to be able to manage the air pressure – hence being able to prevent air from flowing from one room to the other in specific laboratories. A side effect of air conditioning is the generation of condense water, this water will be collected daily to reuse it for the vegetation of the shared spaces. The airconditioning system is designed in such a way that it can be connected to a deep sea water cooling system in the future.
Laboratories have a high turnaround of air (6 air changes per hour). Short distances to the air handling equipment saves space and energy, For this reason the main laboratories were placed on the second floor, close to the technical rooms on the third floor. To minimize the heat penetration to these laboratories the roofs are well insulated and also a reflective white membrane is used. For the same reason the walls are also insulated and windows have been installed with fixed sunscreens.
During construction
Lyongo: “Every other month I am in Curacao and visit all the ongoing projects myself. We have a very capable team of project managers that operate from our office in Curacao. They are responsible for the daily supervision and they make sure that the buildings are made according to plan. They are my eyes and ears on the building site whenever I am not there. I regularly receive images and videos from them and the contractors also send me their weekly reports. Even though I am always well informed I still miss being on site on a weekly basis. However it was nice to see the finishing materials come together – this time on the second floor. It makes you realize how much detail and complexity the building has. To achieve the desired look, the construction workers must work with great precision and dedication, and that takes time. But I am happy with the progress!”
What’s next?
A next big step is the installment of the two staircases. We’ve intentionally positioned the stairs in a way that encourages movement and interaction—to spark spontaneous conversations and collaboration between colleagues.
Work will also continue on completing the façade and on finishing the interior.
