An eye-catcher on the beach
Silt Middelkerke (BE)
The multifunctional “Silt“ building stretches like a dune along the beach in Middelkerke, Belgium. Only the hotel tower stands out – like an elegant bollard. Geberit products were an important factor in the design of the building complex.
Silt is the number one architectural topic of conversation in Belgium. The “Landscraper“, which opened in summer 2023, is the most photographed building in the country - recently even surpassing the famous Atomium in Brussels. Everyone knows the creation that opened in summer 2023.
A “landscraper“ is the counterpart to the “skyscraper“. Instead of towering into the sky, the building extends horizontally over a wide area. Silt stretches in a curve along the coast and allows the dunes to merge with the promenade. Architect Leo Ten Wolde from Zwarts & Jansma Architects (ZJA) says that the design basically drapes the landscape over the building.
An eye-catcher like a bollard
Only the hotel tower rises above the building structure. It is an eye-catcher as it stands on the beach, with its wooden diagonal lattice façade. It is illuminated in the evening. The hotel tower has the shape of a bollard, which makes the complex visible from afar.
The hotel is just one of various semi-public facilities that Silt has to offer. There is also a wellness centre, a casino, a bar, a restaurant and event rooms all under one roof.
Speaking of the roof: the Geberit Pluvia roof drainage system, along with PE drainage pipes, Mepla supply pipes, Duofix and concealed cisterns, made a significant contribution to the building's sanitary concept.
Pluvia makes the difference
According to project consultant Hein van Belleghem from Geberit in Belgium, a fixed requirement of the project was a single downpipe in the centre of the tower. “A conventional roof drainage system would have required either seven downpipes or a huge one in the centre with a diameter of 25 cm.“ Pluvia enabled a single downpipe of dimension d90 – that is 9 centimetres in diameter. “So a nice saving in terms of space and material.“
In addition, the horizontal pipes could be installed without a slope thanks to the high drainage capacity. “For this reason, they could be set in concrete in the roof, which was an important architectural advantage.“
Know-how installed
Geberit Mepla can be processed quickly and is dimensionally stable, flexible, and resistant to pressure and corrosion. It is suitable for all water qualities. Geberit Mepla can be easily combined with Geberit FlowFit and Geberit PushFit or Geberit Mapress.
