Three stacked volumes comprise Hectaar office building by CAAN Architecten
Boxy steel-clad volumes cantilever in different directions to provide alternating views from inside this office building in Roeselare, Belgium, by Ghent studio CAAN Architecten.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
Property developer Hectaar asked CAAN Architecten to design its new offices on a small site next to a busy crossroads, which was formerly occupied by a petrol station.
According to the architects, the stacked arrangement of the three storeys is a response to the diverse architecture surrounding the site, including townhouses that abut the street and detached homes set back behind gardens.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
The cantilevered volumes also help to break up what could otherwise have been a rigid corner by projecting out in different directions to strengthen the building's relationship with the perpendicular roads.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_14.jpg)
"By stacking different orientated volumes onto each other, the continuity of the facades is created without accentuating and toughening the corner," the architects explained.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
The building's first floor juts out two metres to shelter the main entrance. This leads through to a meeting room, a storage area, a kitchen and toilets on the ground floor.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
The first floor houses the main office, while the smaller second-storey volume containing a meeting room was added to give the building a height equivalent to other structures around the crossroads.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
Each of the volumes is visually separated from the one below by a narrow shadow gap, added to give the impression that they are floating.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
The exterior surfaces are covered in bronzed stainless-steel panels that create warm reflections in the sunlight and break up the facades.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
"By opting for the shingle, the facade isn't tight and flat, but an organic surface which – depending on sun, clouds or night time – changes the different mood and atmosphere of the project," said the architects.
"One moment it has an industrial feel, but it can transform into a impressive gold object in a second."
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
The metal-clad surfaces catch the sunlight during the day, while at night internal lighting accentuated by rows of LED bulbs arranged along the inner edges of the windows cast a warm glow through the glazing.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
Black frames divide the expansive glazed surfaces and conceal tracks for the white curtains fitted inside. These can be drawn to shade the interior from the direct sunlight – an inevitable consequence of the building's east-, west- and south-facing facades.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
Inside the building, a polished concrete floor and white-painted walls provide a calming backdrop for freestanding furniture intended to create a homely environment.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
An African hardwood called afrormosia was used for tables, desks and a staircase that rises from the entrance on one side of a solid plinth, before continuing as open treads cantilevered from the wall.
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_468_16.jpg)
Photography is by Thomas De Bruyne.
Project credits:
Architect: CAAN architecten bvba – Koen Heijse, Roel Cocquyt
Collaborators: Mattias Van Hijfte, Christophe Gardin
Client: HECTAAR nv
Engineering: COBE Ingenieurs bvba
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_1.gif)
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_2.gif)
![Hectaar office in Roeselaar by CAAN Architecten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Hectaar-office-Roeselaar-by-CAAN-architecten_dezeen_3.gif)