Discover Benelux | Top Architects in the Netherlands | Creating Quality of Life
The Galileo Reference Center is built in the middle of a green dune landscape. Photo: Ernst van Raaphorst.
Architecture and social sustainability TEXT: EVA MENGER | PHOTOS: OSSIP VAN DUIVENBODE
Amsterdam-based architectural firm de Architekten Cie. B.V. highly values its users: the way in which users interact with their buildings is what mostly drives their design processes. In addition, they are focused on sustainability, but rather than this being a separate value, they believe the two are closely connected. Partner Pero Puljiz, who joined the firm in 1991, refers to this concept as social sustainability: “People are increasingly interested in social spaces. The latest generation of employers collaborate much more than what used to be normal, and this calls for new ways of thinking about how offices should be laid out.” In terms of technical sustainability, Cie. has been a pioneer in the implementation of circular development. ‘Circular’ refers to a building whose state is not finite: they are built in a way that ensures all materials 56 | Issue 60 | December 2018
can be recycled, which means that parts of the building can be easily adapted in the future without needing a full rebuild. The first time they were able to test the techniques behind circular development was with the new ABN AMRO headquarters, aptly named ‘Circl’. “We always knew that it was possible in theory, but the ABN AMRO Group gave us the opportunity to investigate whether it would work in practice,” associate designer Eric Van Noord says. Equally important, however, was the social aspect of the building. ABN approached Cie. as they were looking to develop a more social corporate identity, which ultimately, is what the pavilion has come to manifest. “We wanted the building to look both warm and accessible for passers-by, so we used glass to create a more open space, and warm materials to increase
the inviting atmosphere,” Puljiz explains. “The office is now a public meeting space. Everybody is welcome to unwind in the café, have dinner in the restaurant, or enjoy the view from the intimate roof terrace,” Van Noord adds. Blending-in city dwellers with ABN staff was the aim of the building, and Cie. has made that possible enacting their principles on social sustainability. “Another thing we have done to emphasise the social aspect of work is by letting ABN employees play a role in the deve lopment of the building,” Puljiz says. “To optimise the acoustics of meeting rooms, we ground-up hundreds of old pairs of jeans which we then used to cover the ceiling. As those jeans were all given to us by ABN employees, it has given the building a more personal story.” All the materials used for the pavilion are recorded in a ‘building passport’, which includes