NIKON

We transformed the interior of Aldo van Eyck’s Tripolis building in Amsterdam-South into an open-plan office that encourages interchange and innovation. Built in 1991, Tripolis is set to become the European headquarters of the Japanese electronics company Nikon. The strong original architectural concept of the building and Nikon’s brand image together formed the starting point for our design. Both are intense and authentic. The dynamism of the product development and marketing, and the company spirit, with its mix of nationalities, age groups and disciplines, made a deep impression on us. We wanted to express this transparency, dynamism and sense of well-being in our design.

The radical office building consists of three flower-like octant spaces linked by a geometrically distinctive central space containing the common services such as lifts, escape stairs and toilets. The open spaces is precisely what Nikon wants. To communicate, collaborate and exchange ideas. We concentrated on making the space as transparent and light as possible. The basic materials for achieving this effect were the sprayed panels of glass and steel. Instead of some mass-produced material or synthetic, we proposed using only authentic materials of the same high quality as that exuded by Nikon’s products.

The incredible quality of the light of the space and Nikon’s affinity with light and colour as an optical and camera company we expressed in the colour scheme of the sprayed walls. The building’s unique geometry in combination with the transparency and the colours produces a fluid and light environment where the surrounding city and the greenery become part of the spatial perception. Simultaneously, precisely because of these same ingredients, the workstations remain intimate. The world of Nikon’s working space develops seamlessly from this. It also perfectly matched the philosophy of the design of our office. We believe in the space where one feels like wearing a comfortable jacket. Space where you are not too much conscious of what is built but you feel good with light, space and the season. It is not about what we design, but it is about in between what we design, in between the walls and windows.

Program:
Renovation and interior office
Location:
Burgerweeshuispad, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Date:
November 2012
Client:
Nikon Europe B.V.
Collaboration:
Project management: Stone 22
Project support: Arcing Architecture
Interior patios: MXT landschappen
Colour scheme: Ayumi Higuchi
Team:
Project architect: Anne Boonstra
Collaborators: Farah Agarwal,
Jasper Grool
Floor Area:
4540 m2
Building costs:
2.100.000

Photography: Christian Richter