Office 05

Project Description

After a successful collaboration between i29 interior architects and VMX Architects for the social workplace Combiwerk, this is a further project in which the two offices joined forces to integrate architecture and interior design seamlessly. The result was an industrial building with a bold interior realised in de Houthavens, the old port of Amsterdam, for the media agency MediaXplain
At present the area is rapidly transforming into a residential and working area. This interplay between the old and new city and the harbour is reflected in the design for the building. VMX Architects took full advantage of this location – the view of the water and docks – by integrating a completely open façade. To achieve this, large glass windows in the façade are set at an angle (as in a ship’s wheelhouse), rather than straight, to avoid reflections on the glass.
The interior also refers to the industrial origins of this area. It is an open-plan office with a large open space at the centre of the building. In accordance with the building’s skeleton with raw concrete walls and an open layout, i29 interior architects proposed an interior with complementary materials such as rough oak wood, black surface walls and furniture, custom-designed concrete floors, grey acoustic ceilings and a large industrial staircase to connect both office floors.
Large desks made of rough oak wood accommodate the employees, who can look out over the port at the front. A strip with private offices, meeting rooms, a print area and pantry is situated at the back. A corridor with a black ceiling, floor, and walls, along the full width of the building, connects the different areas. Seen from the main office area, this corridor functions as a cinema, with large projection walls for the display of digital work, as a reference to the client’s activities as a media agency.