- Home
- References
- Coloured & Printed Façades
- SOLTECH HQ
From black coal to clean power — a solar wall that carries memory
A solar factory built by solar — on the site of the mine that once powered a region
A building that tells the story — and proves what’s possible
In 2022, SOLTECH NV moved from Tienen to Genk, choosing Thor Park — the former Waterschei coal mine, now an innovation campus for clean energy — as the site for its new production hall and headquarters. The move was more than practical. It was a deliberate act of continuity: returning energy to a place that once gave it to the world.
The brief to MaMu Architects was unambiguous: not just a factory, but a building that shows what ISSOL® stands for — integration, innovation and identity. Completed in six months, the result is one of the most comprehensive BIPV showcases in Europe, and the company’s own daily proof of concept.
42 uniquely printed panels — a real miner, from local archives
- 42 custom ISSOL® Fresco panels on the western façade depict Jean-Pierre Lavarini — a real miner who worked the Waterschei grounds — sourced from Genk’s municipal archives
- ColorBlast® Design by Kameleon Solar translated the photograph into a performance-safe colour map: lighter tones admitting more light, darker shades less, within engineered tolerances
- Each panel printed uniquely, assembled at SOLTECH’s facility, installed by Limeparts-Drooghmans with precise alignment
- The remaining building carries five BIPV system types: rooftop PV, glazed canopies and sunshades, semi-transparent balustrades, and an experimental solar walkway
- Total PV integration exceeds the site’s own energy consumption — making it energy-positive
The technology: ISSOL® Fresco’s proprietary printing and lamination process embeds full-colour images — including fine photographic detail and tonal gradations — directly into power-generating glass. Combined with ColorBlast® Design by Kameleon Solar, the grayscale miner portrait was mapped to a performance-safe colour distribution: each pixel’s lightness calibrated to control light transmission without creating hotspots or compromising output. Every one of the 42 panels was printed as a unique piece — together forming a single coherent image at façade scale.
Parameters for rapid evaluation
| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Coloured & printed façade | Full-colour photographic BIPV; western public-facing façade |
| Façade technology | ISSOL® Fresco | Proprietary printing & lamination into PV glass |
| Colour design | ColorBlast® by Kameleon Solar | Photographic image mapped to performance-safe colour distribution; no hotspots |
| Fresco panels | 42 uniquely printed panels | Each panel a unique piece; together forming a single façade portrait |
| Artwork subject | Jean-Pierre Lavarini | Former Waterschei miner; image sourced from Genk municipal archives |
| Additional BIPV | Rooftop · canopies · balustrades · walkway | Five BIPV system types integrated across the full building |
| Energy balance | Energy-positive | Total PV generation exceeds building’s own energy consumption |
| Façade installation | Limeparts-Drooghmans | Precise panel alignment required for image continuity across 42 elements |
| Completed | 2022 | Built in six months |
| Recognition | BIPV Award 2024 — Innovation |
“We didn’t just want a factory. We wanted a building that tells our story. That shows what we can do. That remembers where we came from — and where we’re going.”
Bas van de Kreeke — CEO, SOLTECH NV
“It’s the only technology we know of that can deliver full-colour images on solar panels without compromising safety or power output.”
Kevin Verpaalen — CEO, Kameleon Solar
The building as proof of concept
