Office in a Shipyard

A former shipyard, built for the making of the famous ‘Groene Draeck,’ the sailing yacht of the Dutch Queen, was transformed into an office space for a young digital innovation company. The company is undergoing exponential expansion, but growth, especially in the digital age, is difficult to predict. Therefore we proposed a tactic to anticipate this uncertainty. We applied a strict compartmentalisation of their activities in order to prevent saturation and eventual loss of quality in the shared spaces. Flexibility for the various activities is divided into 3 zones, creating concentrations rather than spillovers. By opening up towards the waterfront, the structure offers views over the river IJ to all its users. Employing a variety of floors surfaces, wall finishing’s and lighting systems we were able to provide the client with the openness they wanted, while safeguarding designated ‘public’ and ‘service’ spaces from the overflow caused by the firm’s potential growth.