Triodos bank

The building is characterised by its openness and transparency (working as if you were in the surrounding forest!) and an extraordinary reception of light. The organic shapes, sophisticated materials and subtle use of colour brings about a natural stillness when entering the building and enhances how the building merges with its surroundings. Interior designer Odette Ex who, in her own words, sculpted the building as an artist rather than an architect: “This is the perfect example of how interior architecture and nature fully reinforce one another.”

Odette: “From the first moment on, we as a team wanted to create a building that connects heaven and earth. A design that interconnects with nature. If you ask me, this is exactly what circularity stands for: it's not all about materials, it also involves being in touch with nature. This is something we have drifted away from. It truly affects you when you are surrounded by genuine materials at your place of work. At the Reehorst estate, we wanted to create a healthy work environment in which we sought perfection but also embraced imperfection. It was precisely the vulnerability of everything that we wanted to show. We installed linen walls to improve the acoustics, for example. By selecting materials based on their authenticity, an extra dimension was added to the building, creating an integrated design which contributes to the peace and serenity of the building.”

It was up to Gispen to completely furnish the building in a circular manner. We supplied all the separate pieces of furniture, which were partly new, and partly reused and refurbished. In addition, we provided many custom solutions. This unique project also called for a carefully selected team of people: account manager Egbert Bos was the first point of contact for the duration of the project. Robbert de Jonge, project manager and circular economy advisor, managed the reuse and revitalisation of the furniture. Head mechanic Michel ter Schegget and a permanent team of service technicians realised the delivery of all the furniture within 5 weeks.

Can you name a few circular highlights? Robbert: "Triodos Bank has reused approximately 400 existing workstations. We were able to reuse the frames, refurbish all the tabletops and added clever components to the desks to neatly and safely tuck away any wires and cables. All the oval conference tables were upgraded. One eye-catching conference table of no less than 7 metres and 20 centimetres long was shortened to 6 metres and was refinished. Moreover, all the existing seats have been reupholstered. Our Gispen circular, modular desk collection is installed in the special cubicles  with cradle-to-cradle certified office chairs by Herman Miller. Egbert: “And don't forget all the custom solutions, realised in close cooperation with Iedema Projectstoffering and furniture builder Het Woud. From Desso round carpets to a long tailormade wooden workbench, a cabinet made of tree trunks, a wooden stand on both the ground floor and the first floor and two tables made of concrete ciré on the ground floor.”