Due to new innovations and the speed with which production changes follow each other in the food industry, factories in this sector are granted an increasingly shorter life. Buildings should be completed rapidly and meet all kinds of planning criteria in addition to strict requirements in terms of food hygiene. That poses enormous challenges to modern architects. During the MFC event in Gorinchem, the Netherlands, food architect, Herman Bessels, shared his vision on the ‘factory of the future,’ which looks most like a modern Bedouin tent, according to him - packing up every day to go to a different place.
Multi-functionality pays off
“Factories now last about 10 to 15 years, if you are lucky,” says Bessels, of the architect and engineering agency of the same name from Twello, the Netherlands. Because the speed with which entrepreneurs can execute their business model is often crucial to the degree of their success, a quick completion is therefore an important criteria for them. “Time is the new gold. What is ordered tomorrow, has to be finished yesterday,” he concludes.
It goes against Bessels’ philosophy to write off a factory he designed after its economic life has expired. To prevent unnecessary vacancies afterwards, Bessels bases factory halls on a warehouse grid. As soon as the factory function ceases, the building can be used as storage facility. “Such a multifunctional character makes the investment more future-proof. As an architect, you do not just design for the user, but also for the residual value of the investor.”
Do not think afterwards, but in advance
Before a factory can actually be built, there are many factors that can influence feasibility. “That is why we do the Bessels-Quickscan. The Quickscan team of Bessels consists of, in addition to the architect, for example, an environment lawyer, an environmentalist, a landscape architect, and economist, investor, state agent, a subsidy and BREEAM expert (who measures the sustainability of buildings) and a technologist. They look for possible obstacles within their own discipline, but they also look at possibilities that could influence the construction process.”
“The environmental lawyer will have to properly study the zoning plan. The landscaping of an industrial building can meet resistance, making it wise to engage an environmental expert in the design. And just as important is the financial feasibility. Will the business model of the entrepreneurs get them far? Will their objectives be in line with the request that they have given us? Can subsidies be used? These are all important assessments. Furthermore, the ideas also have to be technically feasible,” Bessels explains.
For more information:
Herman Bessels
Bessels Architekten & Ingenieurs B.V.
Domineestraat 10
7391 GG Twello