Van der Spek

From a cubicle-type office with a dark corridor in the centre to a much more open structure. The central staircase with its blue steel stairs – in the recognisable corporate colour – immediately catches your attention. The spacious corridors are now filled with light and air. The offices are welcoming and homely. Hill: “Where the corridors have light, neutral shades of greyish blue, the offices have been given a more vibrant colour scheme. The colours were chosen by the departments themselves during a workshop; after all, it was to become their home base. The interior as a whole still has a uniform design because we carefully matched all the colours together with Gispen and the client.” A remarkable detail: every department created their own floor design which is incorporated into the carpet (Interface).

Gispen supplied complete workstation units and furnished the conference rooms, a workshop area and the company restaurant. Final decisions were made during a visit by the architect and representatives of Van der Spek to the Gispen Inspiration Centre in Culemborg. A great many Gispen TEAM tables and SDK sliding door cabinets were installed. The conference chairs are from Artifort. Van der Spek opted for Gispen Zinn office chairs to accompany the circulair dual workstations which are height-adjustable. Jacco: "Furthermore, Gispen prepared a trial setup for us which we could thoroughly test out. We were all completely convinced afterwards.” The workstations are finished with walnut veneer tops and are equipped with dark frames for a homely look and feel.

Jaco: "We could not be happier with our new work environment and we are now set for another 25 years. Our building has become more spacious, lighter and more transparent, which is exactly what we wanted. We are also satisfied with the furniture that we ordered: a great combination of products that also function really well. Our sustainable approach is reflected in various ways. The building is almost energy-neutral; we went from label G to label A. We brought in a piece of nature in the form of a 30-metre long green wall with real plants inside; a real eyecatcher. And opting for the workstations was definitely a good decision." Hill: “I clearly remember employees having reservations about standing behind their desks at first, but now the vast majority is saying: gosh, it works better than expected!”

Martijn Jacobs, business manager at Gispen and first point of contact for Van der Spek: “I am also very positive about working together with Jaco and Hill. On top of that, something else has stemmed from our collaboration. Gerrit Schilder jr., owner and architect at SchilderScholte, approached Gispen for a programme that allows architects in training to gain professional experience. Since then, around thirty participants have been given guided tours around the Gispen Inspiration Centre and the factory in Culemborg. We can only applaud such initiatives.”

Photography: Ronald Tilleman