54
NOTARIAAT DENOO
Passendale....
In Passendale stands a new notary’s office that stands out for its clear, monolithic form and a carefully curated palette of materials. The building combines clean lines with surprising angles and recessed volumes, creating an atypical yet harmonious whole. Inside, a warm, serene atmosphere is created, while the surrounding garden and water feature form a pleasant green buffer and simultaneously provide functional parking space for employees and visitors.
Project information
| Project |
Project
Denoo Notary Office |
|---|---|
| Location |
Location
Stationsstraat 16, Passendale |
| Client |
Client
Notary Denoo |
| Architect |
Architect
Markland (member of Link Lab)
|
| Construction Team |
Construction Team
Habitar |
| Interior |
Interior
Eva Carlier
|
| Program |
Program Compact notary office with an archive and apartment above |
| Gross floor area |
Gross floor area
400 m² |
| Timeline |
Timeline
2019 |
The design follows the unique contours of the deep, non-parallel lot. The building consists of two interconnected volumes, aligned with the lot boundaries, featuring a subtly recessed roof terrace that combines privacy with natural light. The front facade faces the street and provides screening, while the side and rear facades are glazed, allowing the workspaces to receive abundant natural light and maintain a direct connection to the garden.
One of the most striking features is the internal spaciousness, clearly visible in the building’s cross-section. The office space on the first floor opens up to the roof ridge, creating an airy, open work environment. The recessed roof terrace and the atrium on the street side reinforce the visual connection between inside and outside, allowing daylight to penetrate deep into the building. The central functional volume on the ground floor houses restrooms, a kitchenette, and storage, while the office and meeting spaces are located along the perimeter and benefit from maximum natural light and views of the garden.
The exterior combines light gray flat brick with gray ceramic roof tiles and anodized bronze window and door frames. The tone-on-tone detailing and the ribbed aluminum on the street side create a monolithic whole that radiates both warmth and a human scale. Inside, walnut accents, carpet tiles, and acoustic stretch ceilings enhance the comfort and discreet atmosphere essential to a notary’s office.
The new building is surrounded by a carefully designed outdoor space: a garden with a pond and terrace breaks up the austere volume and creates a calm, relaxed atmosphere. At the rear, within the outline of the former warehouse, parking spaces and bicycle racks have been integrated—functional yet subtly blended into the landscape. Existing property boundaries and walls have been preserved or carefully adapted so that the whole blends seamlessly with the surrounding context.
