Oliphant / Offices

Amsterdam

More information

We can no longer see our working lives and personal lives as something separate. The redevelopment of the Oliphant typifies the era in which we find ourselves today. The Oliphant is a transformation of a closed 90’s office system into a transparent, ‘urbanized’ building. The building is now fit for the contemporary way of working. The result is an iconic tower where people can meet, join forces, and exchange ideas

This smart redevelopment is based on our REBORN-principle that states the following. A building is only truly transformed once it is able to lead a second life. We aimed the Oliphant’s design at merging its functions into its surroundings. Where the building meets the city, it physically and figuratively opens up so that the hall becomes part of the public square in front of the building. This also promotes contact and a form of intimacy between those using the building and the public.

The design of the Oliphant also embraces new working methods and focuses on sharing the forces and skills of its users and visitors. The building’s open floor plans offer clear orientation and an open view of the surroundings. Whether approaching the tower from the underground parking or the station, one arrives by way of a spatial square that extends into the hall, which, in turn, connects four public floors. The curvilinear effect of the facade generates a dynamic sense of organic connection between the office floors.

This redevelopment generates a sense of ownership within the users: they are responsible for the future of their work environment. As mentioned earlier, the design embraces new working methods and focuses on sharing the strengths and skills of both users and visitors.

The Oliphant’s sustainable design

With an eye on longevity and sustainability, the Oliphant design targets BREEAM certification. We reduced the building’s energy demands by way of a new transparent façade constructed with high isolation glass, that lets sunlight in and keeps heat out. The building uses renewable energy for cooling and heating. We acquire this energy from a municipal energy network and we distribute it through the building by using cooling/heating ceilings.

Read the interview about the Oliphant with it’s architect here.