Office with sawtooth roof  pays tribute to a mill by Gerrit Rietveld

Office with a sawtooth roof  pays homage to a Dutch mill by Gerrit Rietveld

The jagged roof of this warehouse and office space in the Netherlands is designed to reference a 1950s weaving mill by Dutch architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld (+ slideshow).

Dutch architect Arnoud Olie, who is the founder of Meppel-based studio B+O Architectuur en Interieur B.V, designed the Office Building in the city of Zwartsluis for industrial parts manufacturer ForTop Zwartsluis.

The brick and concrete building, which features a distinctive roof profile, also functions as a warehouse space and distribution centre.

The serrated roof was inspired by Gerrit Rietveld's 1959 design for a weaving mill situated in the southern Netherlands town of Bergeijk. The mill by Rietveld, who was a member of Dutch abstract movement De Stijl, is made up from a series of conjoined pods that together create a curving sawtooth roofline.

"The building has many distinctive features and was carefully designed and detailed, making the building look nothing like a conventional office building," said the architects, who wanted to avoid the traditional "square box" buildings typically adopted by factories in the region.

"It was inspired by the designs architect Gerrit Rietveld made for a factory named Weverij de Ploeg," they added. "The curved sawtooth roofs present in Weverij de Ploeg are reflected in Fortop, they give the building a unique character with minimal expenses."

The north-facing straight elements of the roof face are glazed to allow light into penetrate the building, while the curving parts provide shade from direct sunlight.

The building is faced in brown brick, while entrances are marked by large panels of glazing and a wooden garage door.

"Mainly durable and robust materials are used in the design: the walls are of dark brick and concrete construction, with a maximum amount of the materials left raw," said the architects. "This gives the new home of Fortop a machine aesthetic."

Numbers on the brick facade correspond to the company's different distribution centres, allowing delivery drivers to easily locate their cargo.

A glass door opens into the central hall and staff canteen, which is separated from the warehouse by a glazed wall. An open office is situated on one side of the hall, while a door that leads to a storage space and workshop is located on the other. Three meeting rooms are located on the first floor.