Life Office – Utrecht
Ditt Officemakers were tasked with the design for the LifeOffice, a multi-use office building located in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
This office building in Papendorp, built in 2007, was purchased by the joint venture of Angelo Gordon and APF International. The large, stone-cladded object is on a prominent location on the edge of the A2 and is surrounded by a grassy landscape. Together with the new owners, Spark Real Estate and Stadium Capital Partners, Ditt Officemakers are transforming the Life Building into a new and inspiring workplace experience in Utrecht. In addition to the office space, facilitating the users is very important. Through the different facilities, large and small meeting rooms, a café bar, various informal collaboration spaces and a comfortable lounge, this fully serviced office is a reality.
The concept focuses on the contrast between hard and soft; the hard, geometric lines of the building versus the soft grass surrounding it. This soft landscape represents comfort, caress, coming together, nature, walking barefoot, play, freedom and is the gentle element. The structure and building lines are strong and big. This represents structure, protection, object, strength, business, being serious and is the hard element. By letting the two come together and flow into each other, we blur the dividing line between inside and outside. We can create a dialogue between soft and hard, inside and outside, nature and the built world.
This concept is not only limited to the interior, but also the exterior and landscaping. We use elements from the inside out and from the outside in, creating a soft, green movement beginning from the outside, moving up into the interior and out through the exterior again. This intervention creates an inviting entrance at the main point of the building. Placing organic, green elements in the square creates a playful outdoor area where the users can sit, hike, exercise, party and have lunch. The outside passes through the inside, bringing with it natural materials and forms. Forms of trees and the impression of bringing in more daylight combined with soft materials, creates an inviting and invigorating space for the user.
Designer: Ditt Officemakers
Design Team: Rachel Santegoets, Delle Benton, Mark Molenaar
Photography: Sabine Franke & Marjolein Thijse
