Amsterdam’s iconic Droogbak building transformed into a 21st-century office space for a prestigious law firm
Bram Vreugdenhil

Amsterdam’s iconic Droogbak building transformed into a 21st-century office space for a prestigious law firm

24 jun. 2022  •  Notícia  •  By Allie Shiell

An iconic 19th-century building next to Amsterdam Central Station, Droogbak has been transformed into a 21st-century office space for the law firm Clifford Chance. The design was undertaken by KCAP as architects with interiors by Fokkema & Partners.

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The focal point was to create a future-proof monument that enables a new way of working.

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The renovation aims to modernize the iconic building’s internal climate and acoustics but above all, enable a new way of working, providing spaces for informal encounters and social interaction. 

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The delicate but impactful interventions undertaken retain original elements and make them visible where possible. Spatial and visual connections within the building have been improved and expanded

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For example, a space previously covered and converted into a library from the courtyard was reactivated by KCAP into a bright, glass-covered atrium that serves as a dynamic and animated place for meeting and interacting.

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The space also serves as a new node and hub for the building’s circulation.  
New staircases provide access to upper floors and a restaurant at the basement level while bay windows and balconies reinforced the visual relationship between the atrium and the remainder of the building. 

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A sculptural spiral staircase made of anodized aluminium is an eye-catching feature element of the atrium. Allowing for informal encounters, it connects a series of mini-hubs equipped with glass skyboxes that overlook the atrium. 

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The interior design by Fokkema & Partners offers a playful interpretation of the building’s historical features. Architectural elements in the atrium loosely refer to the neo-Renaissance interior façade with pronounced planes in colour, period rooms with their original details converted to modern offices, and planes in a historical ochre tone marking new corridors in richly ornamented hallways. 

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The original wooden rafters are left free of partitioning, with spaces organized into different ‘home zones.’ 

Bram Vreugdenhil