Building high, landing softly: a hyper-compact warehouse in a green setting

The high-bay warehouse forms the heart of the extension: a dense, optimised storage machine that replaces the classic horizontal layout with a vertical approach. By building upwards, the impact on ground level is drastically reduced. Thanks to fully automated technology, profiles are loaded and unloaded in a single movement, while up to three times more profiles can be stored per square metre than in a warehouse with conventional racking. The new transfer zone links seamlessly with the existing logistics flows and enables fast, efficient circulation. The volume presents itself as a clear, functional skeleton that reflects the industrial logic. Climbing structures and integrated planters soften the appearance and gradually blur the boundary between building and surroundings.

The upscaling required not only additional storage, but also more social functions and significantly more parking spaces for employees. Parking at ground level, however, would have introduced large paved surfaces and put pressure on the site’s ecological capacity, while building underground proved unfeasible due to the high groundwater table. The solution came in the form of multiple land use: a rooftop car park on top of the transfer zone. A carefully integrated bridge and ramp naturally guide car traffic towards the building.

All traffic flows – freight traffic, cars and pedestrians – converge at the corner of the extension. At this point, changing rooms, sanitary facilities and a canteen are provided, offering generous views over the surroundings. The result is a user landscape that is both functionally efficient and pleasant, in which arriving, working and taking breaks follow one another logically. Combining parking and working not only delivers economic benefits – less infrastructure, less hard surfacing – but also a high-quality daily experience for employees, who spend their breaks looking out onto greenery instead of an expanse of asphalt.

With this intervention, Reynaers Aluminium now has a future-proof warehouse volume and parking capacity without sacrificing green space. Behind the building, part of the natural area has been redesigned with a fine-grained system of ditches for rainwater infiltration, making the landscape more resilient to both drought and heavy showers. A new footpath opens up the area to local residents, allowing them to enjoy the increased biodiversity.