B2S.
Office building for a event organisation.
Year | 2013 |
Status | Completed |
Location | Rotterdam 51.9244201, 4.4777325 |
Architect | Machiel Hopman |
Back2school was founded in 1996 when Paul Elstak (DJ Paul) and Rob Jansen (DJ Rob) wanted to create something new in the dance scene. The parties were called 'back2school'. After the success of the Ministry of Dance in 2000, the establishment of the company b2s events followed.
Event organization b2s asked us to make a design for an office with warehouse, matching the image of the company. The key words that we have incorporated in the design are: robust, powerful and original. These properties are expressed in the anthracite-colored concrete facade with a unique pattern for the windows and the industrial interior.
The task of combining office and reception space with a storage and soundproof studio, limited us for creating transparency in the façades. We have therefore chosen to design a compact and robust building, the architectural development of which is based on a modular concrete construction with prefabricated façade elements. This pure and somewhat raw appearance fits well with the company culture and activities of the client.
Internally, the industrial character of clean work pre-fab concrete was continued and installations were kept in sight. The interior design is based on an open carré-shaped office landscape around a centrally located staircase with ‘floating’ wooden steps. The balustrades of this staircase are equipped with stainless steel tension cables. The floor plan of the total design is open with closed ‘box’ shaped functional objects, such as meeting rooms and consultation boxes. On the first floor the flex workstations and fixed workplaces are decorated by the large windows that provide a lot of natural light. The ground floor is used for internal and external consultations. Glass sliding walls provide privacy if desired, while maintaining the transparent character of the interior.