Rabobank Administration Centre

The commission for the new Rabobank administrative centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands, comprises the development of two completely new high-rise towers and the partial renovation of the existing building. The entire complex will be designed as a single campus area. The edge of the campus is formed by a continuous roof and a delicate plinth. This plinth connects all the buildings of the complex and frames the area’s central plaza. The existing buildings and the new development stand as individual volumes on this plinth. The new development consists of two transparent 105-m towers, of which one is slightly turned so that the towers do not run parallel to one another. The towers are connected by a glass veil. Points of departure in designing the complex as a whole were a strong ambition to work according to principles of sustainable construction, the realisation of a completely contemporary office concept and a high level of transparency throughout.

In 2009 emma was selected to be part of a cluster of 5 designers for the new Rabobank headquarters interior.

The design project revolved around the question how to accommodate 6000+ workers of who none has an own desk or room. ‘Rabobank unplugged’ was the title of this new way of working. Emma designed several meeting rooms, concentration spaces, work desks and relax environments. These are designed to form a recognizable family of environments spread throughout the enormous building in which employees can find intimacy in the otherwise vast and impersonal spaces.

This intimacy gives them the confidence and ease to work together in places that are not their own, and facilitates instant team spirit. The objects are constructed by layering three different kinds of Dutch wood in a multi-dimensional repetitive pattern. They address all senses; the sight, smell, touch, and even acoustics of these environments are so specific that people are able to find them easily and personally relate to them even when they cannot, under the ‘Rabobank unplugged’ regime, can call them their own.