vanberlo opens its second design studio in ypenburg airport, a former dutch air base

dutch design studio vanberlo has established its second major office in the former ypenburg air base in the netherlands. as part of a massive renovation to the building, vanberlo aimed to mix the building’s rich historic style with an iconic and contemporary interior.

the new office is located in the former ypenburg air base

the original building was designed by famous dutch architects jan brinkman and leendert van der vlugt. built in the 1930s, ypenburg airport was considered ahead of its time; a minimalistic example of modern architecture with a style that zeroed in on light, air and space. in creating their new office, studio vanberlo was keen to retain the character of the building, while marking it with its own creative stamp. ‘we wanted to make the office ours without overlooking the rich history of the building itself,’ says CEO thomas paulen. ‘we paid homage to it, for example, by naming our café after operation manna, a famine relief military operation staged to airdrop food over the hague during world war 2.’ elsewhere, the diepen meeting room is named after frits diepen, a dutch pioneer in aviation and industry. after world war 2, diepen founded the company frits diepen aircraft nv, located at ypenburg airfield site.

the diepen meeting room is named after frits diepen, a dutch pioneer in aviation and industry

while faithful to the location’s history, the office also needed to be a fresh, contemporary space of creative and collaborative energy. to achieve this, a series of brainstorms were organised to collect prospective design concepts, resulting in a feature-rich, employee focused workplace . additions include an updated experience lab to prototype creative ideas, and a wall of ‘magic glass’. located in the central meeting room, the ‘magic glass’ is paired with an app and motion detectors and has the ability to turn individual glass windows opaque for private meetings. once opaque, the windows can used for projections and are also equipped with a motion sensor, allowing panels to respond to passing bodies.

additions to the space include an updated experience lab

an open office plan connects teams across the agency, enabling them to creatively collaborate in multi-purpose communal areas. the interior fittings are defined by the use of minimal, ‘honest’ materials including concrete, plywood and felt. ‘we spoke with our staff to learn what types of spaces would enhance their comfort and further spark their collaboration. not only on the work floor, but also in the lounge, kitchen and lunch areas,’ continues paulen, ‘we wanted a workplace that would inspire us to look at things from a different angle, whether looking through the glass into the other room or chatting about our latest idea with a colleague sitting right next to us.’

the ‘magic glass’ wall is paired with an app and motion sensor

clear natural materials are employed for the studio work spaces

food trolleys from airline KLM are used to store brainstorm tools

lounge areas punctuate the space for relaxing and informal brainstorming

built in the 1930s airport by dutch architects jan brinkman and leendert van der vlugt

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: peter corboy | designboom