Fontys Eindhoven: location R10

Reusing furniture wherever possible

Ector Hoogstad Architects provided the interior design. Claartje ten Have of Studio Moj, a permanent partner of Gispen, took the design and translated it into colour schemes, materials and products. In terms of furniture, we took our basic agreements with Fontys to heart, ensuring that the uniformity and unity between the different Fontys buildings was maintained. Naturally, all the furniture is student-proof. Project supervisor Lieke van Casteren: “The old ICT building was demolished. We checked all the furniture on site to see what could be reused, such as the scrum tables for example. Some furniture items were reupholstered, including the coach seats. The conference tables, in turn, were repainted and given new tabletops. Examples of new furniture items that were supplied include height-adjustable TM desks with Zinn office chairs, Nomi and Triennial chairs as well as Dukdalf coat racks and tables. Other special additions include Hale chairs by De Vorm, made of recycled PET felt. All the bespoke furniture items were supplied by Meubelmakerij Het Woud – from wall units and pantries to planters.

A fully-worked-out furniture plan

An extensive risk analysis took place before the project took off. Lieke: “All potential risks were mapped out beforehand. We came up with suitable alternatives for products that were difficult to obtain. And we made sure that third parties were involved from the beginning of the project, such as a locker supplier who came to measure the cove in which the lockers were to be installed. Michel: “Our thorough preparations paid off. Almost everything was supplied within normal lead times, which is largely due to project managers Lieke and her colleague Martine, who worked on this project with great enthusiasm and dedication.”

Are you satisfied with the result?

Michel van der Zanden: “Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to make full use of our new building because of the Corona pandemic. We are now using a rotation system. Still, I only get positive feedback from all the users, whom we involved in the project as early as the design phase. I would like to give my compliments to Claartje, who managed to convey all the interior design jargon in basic terms to our staff, allowing us to make important decisions together. In time, other buildings will follow and we will then take all our newly gained experience from this project with us!”