Page 91 - THE FIRE STATION

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“Maar het zijn kleur spiegels! (But those are coloured mirrors!)”
exclaimed Hendrik Seghers, the sponsor (of the refurbishment of Kasteel Groenhoven in Malderen in 1996-1999)
on seeing the colour of his beautiful paintings reflected in A5 samples of these shades of (pure) grey.
Philippe Samyn and Jan De Coninck, AGC Glass Building, Brussels, Racine, 2014, p. 215

The initial principle for the Charleroi fire station at the time of the Numerous possibilities were open to the design team with regard
competition was based on a system of mobile shutters (heliodon- to the use of this light in the main entrance on Level 0.The final
controlled) rotating around a single axis on the roof of the atrium. choice fell on a set of four multifaceted mirrors to split the light
However, such a system has major limitations, with regard to both beam into multiple reflections along the main wall of Level 0.
parasitic reflections and efficiency.
The 6,000 m2 of rooms on Level 3 benefit for the most part from
The subsequent design, the result of a collaboration between natural light thanks to the seven patios. Each has its own pond,
NEO&IDES and Bemelmans, proposes a system of heliostats al- providing cooling and reflecting the light towards the surrounding
lowing a so-called “primary mirror” to track the sun throughout spaces.
the day via rotating on two axes.Three successive reflections
direct the light from the atrium to the building’s main entrance on Philippe Samyn gives precedence to mirrors rather than colours
Level 0. (glass, mirrors, pure greys) and greys, whites and blacks.

The reflectors selected are made of polished aluminium – “Aluco- In his view, it is the firemen, the visitors, the fire trucks and rescue
bond” – on account of both its very high level (85%) of reflection vehicles which bring in the colour, without forgetting the works of
and its mechanical characteristics. It also blends in well with the artists who will soon be painting the bright fresco.
rest of the building.

Heliostats proposed for the Polar Foundation building in Toronto, 2004. (Ref. 01 | 477)