The office building situated in G.H. Betzweg 1 in Rotterdam near Rotterdam Alexander station, dates from the eighties. In 2015 the building became vacant.

The challenge of this commission was to transform this building once again into an attractive office space, capable of winning over new tenants. Since the building was vacant, there was a limited budget and therefore there was no opportunity to execute a full renovation.

In order to provide our client with a good design solution, we did exhaustive research and analysis of the existing situation:

The building had no connection with the public realm. The ground floor was a parking lot. Therefore the contact between inside and outside was reduced to a small entrance area.

The entrance area was neither a representative space nor a space to meet.

Working areas had poor light conditions caused by the low windows with a height of 1,85 cm.

The colors chosen for the building were very cold and old fashioned, far from a modern look.

We did an exercise of acupuncture and only intervene in the main issues of the building.

In order to improve the contact with the public domain, the ground floor was extended. In this way, the new working areas got a direct connection with the street.

The entrance was transformed into a warm and welcoming space, including a podium for presentations and informal meetings.

To increase the allowance of natural light, the windows of all office spaces were enlarged, transforming the working areas into light and vibrant spaces.

Furthermore, the color palette was changed to a much warmer one that was also applied in the new facade panels.