Sumit Singhal Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.
VICE Media Benelux Headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands by Ninetynine
March 18th, 2015 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Ninetynine
Commissioned by Amsterdam developer and investor Millten, Ninetynine designed the new head office of VICE Media Benelux. VICE Media is one of the fastest growing young media brands worldwide. The new offices are located in a former bank building on the Reguliersdwarsstraat in Amsterdam and will accommodate over 50 employees.
The basement and ground floor of the four-storey building have been developed as general spaces including the reception, boardroom, chill-out, play-room and a studio which can be closed off from the rest of the space with a glass garage door. These areas have been opened up completely to create optimal transparency.
The other levels have been kept as open as possible with the exception of two central blocks: one block that includes the stairwell and lift, and one that accommodates the sanitary facilities. The open areas have been set up as work spaces with large multiform tables that are shared by the employees. The meeting rooms have been separated from the general areas by means of glass walls. The third floor features eight editing suites.
Casco changes
Originally, the building was heavily segmented in separate spaces. The ground floor was opened up as much as possible to maximise the lines of sight, and a large mezzanine was created to connect the ground floor and basement.
The office floors all consisted of a central space around the 15 m2 stairwell with a closed off space of 95 m2 on either side. The central space was broken through to create a single large work space on each floor. The original space around the stairwell also functioned as a firewall. In the new layout this has been reduced to a glass lobby.
The lowered ceilings have been opened up in all spaces to make the construction beam structure visible. All installations are visible between the beams, and the storeys have been equipped with a new concrete floor, poured on top of the existing computer floor.
Ground floor
The ground floor accommodates the reception (directly across from the entrance), a chill-out (on the street side), a pantry with coffee corner, the boardroom (on the garden side) and the mezzazine to the basement with views of the studio on the entresol. The entrance hall is surrounded by a glass wall, making all of the spaces immediately visible upon entering the building. The exterior walls on the left side of the building consist of exposed brick. The reception consists of a freestanding white desk with a raw steel superstructure with a laser cut VICE logo. The desk is positioned in front of the facade of the boardroom and visible from the entrance. Directly to the left of the entrance is the lower-lying chill-out area. The space lets in daylight from the street due to the original garage doors, and is separated from the entrance hall by means of black steel walls. Long desktops along the wall accommodate flexible work spaces during the day and function as a bar in the evenings. A vintage lounge area with TV screen provides an accommodation for informal meetings and presentations. The lighting comes from uplights from the cable ducts and six industrial lampshades. Between the chill-out and the mezzanine is the central shaft of the building, which is covered with strips of different materials and depths, creating a seating and lounge area, and a strip for plant boxes. Behind the shaft is a pantry with coffee maker, consisting of black laminated ply.
Basement
The ground floor and basement are connected by means of raw steel stairs, consisting of two parts with a landing that connects both storeys to the studio halfway. The studio can be closed off from the other spaces by means of a raw steel garage door, and can be used either for meetings or for photo and video shoots. It includes a seating areas and the required film and photo lamps. The on-air sign on the exterior of the studio indicates whether it is in use.
Office floors
The office floors consist of one large space with a block for the sanitary facilities and the central shaft at the heart of the space. The block is entirely finished in anthracite, and has various frames with reference images, chalk boards for planning and notice boards on either side. The front of the block is decorated with a large blow-up of VICE content. A pantry and printing corner are located behind the block. The work spaces are concentrated as much as possible on large multiform tables, made from 72mm
Polish pine. The tables have a black, deepened gully with sockets and cable openings for the permanent computers and phones. Every work space has a classic desk lamp for extra lighting. The walls on the right side of the office floors consist of exposed brick, while all other walls, beams and columns are covered in RAL9010
1. First floor
The first floor features five closed spaces for three meeting rooms, the finance department and a large meeting room. All spaces are closed off from the main space by means of black steel facades. The meeting rooms are furnished with a rug that accommodates a six-person table in Polish pine. The work spaces in the meeting room are identical, but stained black, and the room features a seating area. The free space includes a large multiform work table with 11 work spaces.
2. Second floor
The second floor is a single open space with a multiform table with 20 work spaces on one side, and two rectangular tables with eight and ten work spaces respectively on the other. Long desktops along the exposed brick walls offer accommodation for flexible work spaces and editing sets.
3. Third floor
The third floor contains eight closed off editing suites (four on each side). The remainder of the space is filled with two symmetrically places multiform tables with 12 work spaces each.
Company profiles
VICE
VICE is one of the fastest growing young media brands worldwide. It consists of a collection of fanatic, young and creative writers, art directors, photographers and directors active in the production and distribution of magazines, websites, IPTV, entertainment programming, films, DVDs, books, events and music. Other digital channels of VICE include Noisey, a revolutionary music channel; The Creators Project, dedicated to art and the creative sector; THUMP, focused on dance and electronic music; and Fightland, a channel dedicated to the MMA culture. A recent addition is i-D, a channel focused on fashion. VICE also has a television show on HBO, called ‘VICE’ for which it received an Emmy nomination.
Ninetynine
Ninetynine was founded by Jeroen Vester and focuses on projects related to hospitality & catering, retail and offices. Ninetynine works with varying teams, specifically selected for each project, allowing it to easily switch between small-scale projects and large projects in the Netherlands and abroad. Projects of Ninetynine include the new interiors of the Coffee Company chain, Erasmus Food Plaza, Mash and De Wasserette.
Millten
Millten BV is an independent developer and investor in Amsterdam, mainly focused on monumental and multifunctional real estate projects. Millten is specialised in commercial real estate with a strong emphasis on concept development and design.
Harvest Vastgoed
Harvest Vastgoed is active as an investor and building manager. Its portfolio includes some 20 buildings, including offices and industrial buildings.
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