Ministry of Defence

At ease!

On 4 January this year, the refurbished recruits' holding area was officially put into operation at the "Marinekazerne" naval barracks in Amsterdam. As if it were a military operation, the old interior was dismantled and almost completely rebuilt in the record time of two weeks.

Defence is cooperation

The recruits' holding area is used to receive and temporarily accommodate people approved for functions in the Ministry of Defence. For all elements of the armed forces then, on land, at sea and in the air. "A key requirement was that recruits, who are often pretty nervous, would be calmed down, or put at ease," explains Nico Kamm, Head of Internal Affairs at Defence Personnel Services. "Apart from that, promoting contact with one another was an essential aspect. Defence is all about cooperation and the space has to reflect that. Gielissen came up with all kinds of ideas to stimulate interaction, and a number of them were actually realized."

The basic notion

"The basic notion for the interior is a running seating facility along the walls," says Gielissen designer David de Bruijn. "That creates a central zone for activities. A positive side-effect is that you actually have to sit really close to someone, which tends to lead into a conversation."