The headquarters of an Amsterdam-based Tech company has made a move: from a cramped building in the centre of Amsterdam, connected by narrow hallways, to a spacious former warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The new offices have been designed to facilitate the requirements of the 100 employees: a large café, and flexibility to work and gather both formally and formally in teams ranging from 2 to 10 people.
The former warehouse where the new office is housed has been transformed, by breaking open a part of the first floor to create an atrium, bringing in light and air from the shed roofs down to the ground floor. The industrial feeling is further enhanced by keeping all installations in sight.
The spacious atrium is characterized by a statement steel staircase powder coated green. Slightly overhanging the atrium is a meeting room block, which gives the impression of being free-floating in the space. All the meeting room blocks are constructed from the same materials, light wooden frames and glass.
The core activity of the organization, transferring data, is captured conceptually in the design of the “cable tree”, which emerges from the first floor and branches out to provide lighting for the first floor pantries and living room, as well as the chandelier that is a key feature in the atrium, in a slightly different shade of green to offset the staircase.
Sustainability being one of the requirements for the design, the floor of the café where employees and visitors enter the building is made of recycled bricks (www.stonecycling.com), laid in 2 different patterns. This refers to the buildings industrial past.
On the first floor the central block houses the pantries, toilets, and a presentation space with bleachers. This block is designed as a graphic element, with white walls and tiling outlined in black.
Both floors of this new space provide ample space for employees to work, gather and breathe.