Circular and stylish interior design for FMHaaglanden

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5069

Preparing a building for 750 IT service providers of DICTU The Hague that has no walls or partitions and spans 11,243m2. With an interior that is fully dismantlable, hybrid and circular. These were the goals set by FMHaaglanden for this project. 'We joined forces to create a stylish and sustainable design, to great success,' according to Floor Keijzer, project supervisor at FMHaaglanden. ‘When I move through the building and see how it's being used, the versatile and open-plan design is what excites me.’

From desk to conference table

We created a workplace where the team members can easily switch from desk work to holding a meeting using the Gispen MOXX booths and Qabins. Christa Paauwe, senior account manager at Gispen: ‘The single booths are used by employees to work in silence or have an online meeting. There are also several booths that can accommodate multiple people; for pairs or even the entire team. An added benefit is that they can be completely dismantled. Meaning that you can easily take them with you when moving to another building. Floor Keijzer: ‘The MOXX booths are a wonderful solution. You have a certain picture in mind of what it should look like, but you can't be sure how it'll turn out. The Gispen interior architects were very helpful and the result is exactly what we hoped it would be. All the booths are being put to good use and - combined with the lockers, cupboards and plants - it makes for a comfortable workplace and spacious interior.'

Working towards a CO2-neutral work environment

In addition to an agile work environment, sustainability was a major theme for this project. 'FMH aims to be fully circular and CO2-neutral by 2030. This reflects in this project,' Floor Keijzer adds. 'We had already made a list of new furniture to be purchased, but then we dove into the government's storage rooms with Gispen. This became a shopping spree with pure euphoria. It turned out that a lot could be put to use right away. Thus, a blend of new, repurposed and refurbished furniture was used on each floor.

A sustainable selection

The interior was completed with new pieces of furniture. ‘All circular of course,’ Christa adds. ‘This also means that recycled materials were incorporated into the interior, keeping future refurbishments in mind.' Floor Keijzer explains: ‘Ultimately, no less than 40 per cent of the furniture consists of reusable items. Most of the conference chairs, tables, seats, stools and benches are from our own stock.’

What do you think of the result?

‘It's exactly what we envisioned, which is thanks to Gispen's support. The interior designers helped us along every step of the way, and their fitters and movers also did a great job. Any problems that arose were dealt with quickly. We greatly enjoyed working with Gispen and the DICTU team is right at home here.’

Photography: Mike Bink

black and white portrait of Christa Paauwe

Christa Paauwe - Gispen senior account manager

A word from the specialist

'It has turned into a stunning office. It's great that we were able to combine various products from our collections, such as Gispen TMNL desks combined with ZINN office chairs and TEAM conference tables. Both old and new. We challenged ourselves to reuse as many pieces of furniture as possible. Even in the final stages of the project, when we did a final round of the premises and wanted to make some adjustments. Diving back into the storage rooms and finding a new gem to use.

In other words, you have to be a bit lucky with what you find, and we definitely had luck on our side. Everything in the interior fits and matches. Even the colours blend in perfectly, alternating soft pink with shades of green, petrol and red. This gives the interior a certain liveliness.'

'We made a great team. The fact that a lot of the used furniture came from Gispen's own storage facilities was definitely a win-win. After all, we have been working together for some time.'

Floor Keijzer FMHaaglanden project supervisor

Floor Keijzer - FMHaaglanden project supervisor

A word from the client

‘We had a lot of questions leading up to this project. The building was completely open, with no separate rooms. It was never going to be a standard government office with an architectural interior design plan, but rather a space-in-space concept. The close working relationship with Gispen and their interior designers gave us a lot of confidence in the project. They answered all our questions promptly.

Gispen's interior architect shared their thoughts with us on the office floor layout and the application of used furniture. I was also given ample opportunity to share the ideas from FMH and its users during our sessions together. These were carefully considered and all parties were ultimately happy with the result. Working with Gispen was a pleasant experience. The fact that a lot of the used furniture came from Gispen's own storage facilities was definitely a win-win. After all, we have been working together for some time.'

Photo gallery

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5013

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5107

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5113

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB4991

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5137

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5080

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5101

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5027

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB4992

Gispen Government project interior view of FMH Haaglanden in The Hague MB5058

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From desk to conference table