What is the added value of architecture in industry?

Why is it that the appearance of industrial buildings is often basic, dull, and uninspiring? Intern, Emma Bleumink, has been conducting research at Iv-Industrie about the added value of architecture in industry. A tailor-made internship assignment, in line with her bachelor’s degree in Egineering specialising in Architecture at the HAN University of Applied Sciences. Emma talks about her internship, together with her internship supervisor Daniëlla Taks, Lead Engineer Building & Construction at Iv-Industrie.

Tailor-made assignment

“My internship took place at Iv from February to June 2020,” says Emma. “During my interview, we discussed what kind of assignment would be suitable; one that would complement my education, but also Iv-Industrie. The question "what are the customer’s wishes concerning the architecture of industrial buildings?" was already an issue at Iv, which turned out to be a great match with my graduation specialism! Sometimes the customer defines the design, and other times the municipality sets the requirements. Usually, the assignment is 'make sure that it meets the requirements of the building aesthetics' and no further provisions are imposed on the design. Reason enough to examine why this plays such a limited role and what we can do to change this trend. My internship went so well, both for myself and Iv, that I was invited to stay at Iv-Industrie for a further six months. After this, I hope to study in Canada for half a year, but I will have to wait and see what happens with the current restrictions imposed by the corona pandemic.”

Applying architecture

Emma’s research was met with enthusiastic responses from colleagues as well as customers. “My colleagues enjoyed focussing more on the form of the design,” says Emma. “My research demonstrated that more architecture could certainly be applied, but there were limiting factors such as costs and the lack of added value. The question is: how can you refute any of these limiting factors? Two things can be beneficial: The first is a design that is prepared in different ways so that it does not matter which is chosen in terms of costs. The second is visualising the design to demonstrate the result and the added value. We have also applied this in projects. One client was so enthusiastic about it that they even placed the design on their website.”

Daniëlla continues: “We had the task of creating a design for a production facility, and the client asked if we could make an architectural design that matched the values of the company itself. Emma created a design and substantiated it further with which colours and materials could be used.”
“The company is focused on sustainability, and I incorporated this into the design,” explains Emma. “For example, I used sustainable materials to align the building with the company. The company building is now also in line with the vision and appearance of the company itself. The design does not have to be overly impressive, just as long as it gives an industrial building an aesthetically well-tended appearance. “

Adding colour to grey industrial estates

What is the added value of applying architecture? “The design of a building contributes to the image of a company, the appearance,” says Emma. "I think it's a shame that they are mostly just grey buildings. I think it would be nice if a greater variation could be seen on an industrial estate." Daniëlla continues: “We really want to use this at Iv and are going to work with the visualisation software program Lumion. The knowledge is, therefore, quickly transferred to other tools. In Revit, for example, rendering a design can take a whole day, in Lumion you can make a lot of progress in an hour. This makes it much easier to render the design and present the various options to the client.”

Consider industry for your career path

How do you end up at an engineering company that implements projects for the industry sector, with a degree in architecture? Emma: “It is certainly not the first thing that students or teachers think of, an internship at an industry-focussed engineering company. Residential or utility construction is considered much quicker.” Daniëlla continues: “It is a shame because this really is a broadening and deepening of the training. It is very different to, for example, residential construction. You work closely with colleagues from other disciplines to arrive at a complete design, which always makes it fun. If you enjoy plenty of diversity and a challenge, consider industry for your chosen career path!”

We are always on the lookout for new talent. How can you strengthen our team? Working at Iv means working on challenging and varied projects every day. At the office or on location. Check now to see if you can find an exciting challenge within your specialism!