DE VEREENDE
OFFICE, DEN HAAG
Graziosi Progetti designed an office interior for insurance company De Vereende that feels like a second home.
De Vereende asked Graziosi Progetti to design their new office interior, in an existing building at Bordewijklaan 2 in The Hague. Graziosi Progetti was no stranger to De Vereende, says director Ingrid Visscher. “They also designed our office interior about 15 years ago and we are still very happy with that. But because our lease was about to expire, we asked Nina for support in looking for another property.” The choice fell on three floors in the office building of the Dutch Association of Insurers. Visscher: “We work with them a lot, and they had space to spare. Moreover, the location is good, close to a train station. This move also prompted us to find out how we wanted to furnish our new office and what wishes we had. For example, we think it is important that everyone comes to the office at least two days a week, so that we can work together and learn from each other.”
To connect
The new office had to be a place where you wanted to stay, says HRM manager Jenny Taai: “During the lock down, people had become used to working from home. That is why we wanted the office to become a special environment where you go to share knowledge and meet, but also to work in a concentrated manner. This meant that there had to be much more variety in workplaces. In our old office there were too many distractions, in the new office there are not only places to work together, but also many quiet workplaces.”
The new office is located on floors four to six of the building. To connect these floors, Graziosi Progetti made some architectural interventions. Project architect Felicia Hompus: “Where we closed the existing void between the third and fourth floors, we created new voids and terraces between the fourth, fifth and sixth floors. These are connected by new stairs, including a large grandstand staircase for presentations.”
These stairs also visually connect the floors and form the heart of the office. Nina Graziosi: “We have located pantries and places for collaboration around these inviting stairs. The office is divided into two zones, which are marked with a yellow and a green colour palette. The central area has a social function, which is why we designed it differently to the quiet office zones. For example, we have not used suspended ceilings in the central area, which makes it higher than the office area. We hung tracks with spotlights for the lighting.”
Inner garden
Although the office receives a lot of daylight, mainly thanks to the voids
Graziosi Progetti a completely different look in the sky bar on the sixth floor. This bar has become a more private, intimate place with its dark colour palette and atmospheric hanging lamps. A structural intervention has also been made on this floor, Hompus explains: “On the sixth floor we have added extra space by creating a new floor in the central meeting place. This is part of the courtyard, consisting of terraces, and is connected to the workplaces and sky bar through a large opening in the existing wall.”
This gives De Vereende an office that is a particularly pleasant place to be, and both clients and architect are satisfied: with the beautiful result, but also with the good coordination with the Dutch Association of Insurers. Visscher: “It’s great that they went along with our plans, even though interventions have been made in the building. We are looking forward to the move. Our previous office was also very nice, but this is really version 2.0.”
Graziosi Progetti designed an office interior for insurance company De Vereende that feels like a second home.
De Vereende asked Graziosi Progetti to design their new office interior, in an existing building at Bordewijklaan 2 in The Hague. Graziosi Progetti was no stranger to De Vereende, says director Ingrid Visscher. “They also designed our office interior about 15 years ago and we are still very happy with that. But because our lease was about to expire, we asked Nina for support in looking for another property.” The choice fell on three floors in the office building of the Dutch Association of Insurers. Visscher: “We work with them a lot, and they had space to spare. Moreover, the location is good, close to a train station. This move also prompted us to find out how we wanted to furnish our new office and what wishes we had. For example, we think it is important that everyone comes to the office at least two days a week, so that we can work together and learn from each other.”
To connect
The new office had to be a place where you wanted to stay, says HRM manager Jenny Taai: “During the lock down, people had become used to working from home. That is why we wanted the office to become a special environment where you go to share knowledge and meet, but also to work in a concentrated manner. This meant that there had to be much more variety in workplaces. In our old office there were too many distractions, in the new office there are not only places to work together, but also many quiet workplaces.”
The new office is located on floors four to six of the building. To connect these floors, Graziosi Progetti made some architectural interventions. Project architect Felicia Hompus: “Where we closed the existing void between the third and fourth floors, we created new voids and terraces between the fourth, fifth and sixth floors. These are connected by new stairs, including a large grandstand staircase for presentations.”
These stairs also visually connect the floors and form the heart of the office. Nina Graziosi: “We have located pantries and places for collaboration around these inviting stairs. The office is divided into two zones, which are marked with a yellow and a green colour palette. The central area has a social function, which is why we designed it differently to the quiet office zones. For example, we have not used suspended ceilings in the central area, which makes it higher than the office area. We hung tracks with spotlights for the lighting.”
Inner garden
Although the office receives a lot of daylight, mainly thanks to the voids
Graziosi Progetti a completely different look in the sky bar on the sixth floor. This bar has become a more private, intimate place with its dark colour palette and atmospheric hanging lamps. A structural intervention has also been made on this floor, Hompus explains: “On the sixth floor we have added extra space by creating a new floor in the central meeting place. This is part of the courtyard, consisting of terraces, and is connected to the workplaces and sky bar through a large opening in the existing wall.”
This gives De Vereende an office that is a particularly pleasant place to be, and both clients and architect are satisfied: with the beautiful result, but also with the good coordination with the Dutch Association of Insurers. Visscher: “It’s great that they went along with our plans, even though interventions have been made in the building. We are looking forward to the move. Our previous office was also very nice, but this is really version 2.0.”
