DSM Offices – Delft
Fokkema & Partners designed the offices of a new laboratory building for DSM Food Specialties, located in Delft, Netherlands.
On the Biotech Campus Delft, a generous and innovative new work environment invites research- and development experts to collaborate and interact. A large atrium in the representational new laboratory building forms the social heart where colleagues and DSM’s stakeholders can meet.
Fokkema & Partners developed the workplace concept and interior design for the atrium, meeting areas and the office space. The compact and clever new build by Cepezed is determined by a strict organisation with the laboratories on one side and the office and atrium on the other. In the latter, all spaces are in open contact with each other. Smart organisation of the interior results in a vibrant interconnected space with good acoustics. The workplaces provide intimacy thanks to the pockets created by alternating open spaces with clusters of meeting- and concentration rooms. Break out areas act as living rooms and are set alongside the atrium. At the same time the design takes optimal advantage of the high ceilings and ample daylight. Chance meetings are encouraged in the interior design, instigating a sense of community.
The dynamics in the atrium gave rise to the abstract design of the furniture: the organic shapes of the “pebbles” are functional when it’s busy, and dress the atrium when quiet. They are a subtle reference to the world under the microscope, and at the same time soften the rigid space. Touches of wood and a colour gradient are added to the overall neutral and technical materialisation. In line with the building architecture, the design complements the scientific look and feel with a warm and informal atmosphere encouraging interaction and sharing of knowledge.
DSM’s Biotechnology Center is named the Rosalind Franklin Biotechnology Center in honor of pioneering scientist Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958), whose extraordinary work during a tragically short life and career significantly contributed to our understanding of the structure of DNA, effectively creating the basis for modern biotechnology.
Design:Â Fokkema & Partners
Photography: Horizon Photoworks
