• Architects: Govaert & Vanhoutte
  • Project time frame: January 2016 – December 2016
  • Type of building: Commercial buidling
  • Product: AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Outdoor
  • Application Area: Ceiling

When Belgian architects Govaert & Vanhoutte were asked to design a new Mercedes showroom concept for the Vereenooghe group in Ypres, the stakes were high. The new showroom should be bigger than the old one, offer more transparency, and also have a high design appeal. As a solution, the architects chose a bold approach. Based on simplistic, rectangular concrete walls and vitreous volumes, the building is completely transparent. What is most remarkable is the clean-cut awning that spans the complete building axis with minimal columns, featuring a structural grid of 9 x 16 meters.

The key to the visual impressiveness of this awning was the ceiling, which had to be as flat and homogeneous as possible. As a result, Govaert & Vanhoutte chose AQUAPANEL® to create an exterior ceiling with very few joints and a flawless surface. The weather-proof and highly resilient material is easily installed and enables a whole range of finishing options in all desired qualities. In this case, the plastered surface was painted in a colour resembling exposed concrete, adding to the industrial look of the construction.

With the help of AQUAPANEL®, the new showroom was completed in less than a year, offering the customer an opportunity to present his quality cars in a building which is just as bold as it is flawless.