Sustainable craftsmanship
with social impact
De Nederlandsche Bank, AmsterdamWe worked on an impressive sixteen-storey interior project for the redesign of De Nederlandsche Bank. From cloakrooms to meeting areas, and from wall panels to grandstands - all designed and built with scrupulous care and attention to detail. The entire building showcases expert craftsmanship. Besides the use of sustainable materials and WELL Platinum certification, this project also provided social value. In the form of a concrete contribution to social inclusion.
Clear agreements
and hard work
The redesign of De Nederlandsche Bank was an intensive process in which we worked closely with main contractor SPIE, Mecanoo as the architect, and other stakeholders. That collaboration was pleasant and professional - characterised by short lines of communication and clear agreements. At a later stage in the project, we also supplied the loose items of furniture to De Nederlandsche Bank, under the supervision of Stevens & Van Dijck.
Local materials
stories with impact
Sustainability runs as a common theme through Mecanoo's design. In line with their brief, we worked on all 16 floors with FSC-certified materials and ‘petfelt’ panels - an acoustic material made from recycled PET bottles. For the benches in the auditorium, we called on Vescom, a local supplier. Specially for this project, they developed a fabric with a pattern that subtly refers to the old ten-guilder banknote. A touch of nostalgia, in a new and contemporary jacket.
Tables with character
The large conference tables, the ‘Europatafel’ and the ‘Presidententafel’ immediately catch the eye. Made from different types of wood, with striking details and a beautiful finish - just what you would expect in a building like this. Beautifully finished wood features in several other areas as well. We built wooden grandstands in the atrium, and impressively large planters made from recycled wood from our own harvest hall are scattered throughout the building.
Lockers for the homeless
built by Jobfactory
A further unusual feature of the design are the lockers for the homeless, built in collaboration with Jobfactory, a sheltered workshop in Helmond. Twenty lockers close to a shelter in Amsterdam, intended as a safe storage facility for people without homes. The idea originates from Mecanoo's design and was further developed by us. The lockers were built, with our support, entirely by Jobfactory.
A taste for more!
We are now talking with Jobfactory about a broader collaboration. We hope to give them a permanent role in our harvest hall - as a supplier of circular components. Our intention is to firmly embed socially relevant and sustainable work in our processes. Not as an exception to the rule, but rather as a logical step in how we do things.
