New Life for Mercedes-Benz

We were invited to transform an unoccupied monolith, without demolition, into a state of the art workplace and a ‘great place to work’ for Mercedes-Benz Netherlands HQ, with all the presence and class you’d expect the brand to demand. It was a test of how we deal with a historical approach to development that gave little or no thought to the future, to evolving needs, or a time when a building was no longer loved or needed. Empty since completion almost 20 years before, the legacy set us a great challenge. A full height glass façade connects the two core workspaces. Inside, a wide, open staircase sweeps into the building and through the plush reception area. Just beyond, light falls into an open space from the glass atrium, drawing visitors into a space that behaves almost like a village square – people sit, meet, talk, take a break here, with a videowall giving a focal point and graduating bench seating creating the feel of a small amphitheatre. Eight full length living walls punctuate the square in the atrium, covering over 180m2 of wall, breathing for the building.

Workspace feels open and illuminated, an outcome which was so important. In its previous life this building was designed with dark, shallow floorspaces, so our first move was to ‘core’ the building, removing the roof and cutting a vast opening through the centre of the floors, removing all those heavy concrete ceilings. Now, gently filtered light from the atrium flows into offices through glass panels, and full length external windows allow the outdoors in so that light suffuses. Staff here talk about how it feels to connect with the weather, the surroundings – they feel the light, the openness, helps them to breathe.