A former steam-cleaning factory in the Delfshaven neighbourhood of Rotterdam was transformed into an open creative space to house our office. The central goal was to keep the existing scale, transparency and lightness in place.

The design consists of a slightly raised walkway that organizes the space and redirects flows of people, a central glass meeting room in combination with a pantry and a plant-filled mezzanine, and a coffee corner that connects the working space with a meeting room. Next to the walkway, a wooden wall hosts a sequence of niches that can host exhibited models, samples, prototypes, but also doors and windows that connect adjacent spaces.

The intervention helps to define the spaces of the office, creating a clear structure that divides spaces for work, circulation, spaces to chill and spaces to meet. The use of a wood finishing contributes to creating a warm atmosphere, that nicely contrasts with the white surrounding space. The minimalistic joints between elements, be they wood or glass, ensure a clean and neat detailing and final look.

The new element uses the potential of the large free height provided by the open space, by adding an extra dimension to the use of the space in the form of a modest roofgarden on top of the meeting room. A small flight of stairs leads up to this garden that provides a lovely space to relax during hectic working days. At the same time, the garden is a spectacular landscape feature in the office and absorbs sound to create an acoustically sound environment.

This conversion of a factory space into a grand office loft space demonstrates the potential of often forgotten spaces in inner cities. The way in which this type of space accommodates new functions in a both classy and seamless manner, is exemplary for the opportunities that layering, re-using and re-vitalizing provide for central but forgotten areas in inner cities.

Team:
Architect: JVST
Photography: Riccardo De Vecchi