Transforming an office into a place people actually want to be

A building that had stopped working

Built in 1996, the Landmark building in Arnhem had become almost entirely vacant. A closed-off facade, an uninviting entrance, and interiors disconnected from the city around them. For a prominent building on the A235, that was a significant problem.

Fokkema & Partners were brought in to transform it into a multi-tenant co-working space with offices, meeting facilities, an all-day bar and a restaurant. Something that felt less like a dated office block and more like a destination.

But turning a closed, circular 1990s building into somewhere people genuinely want to spend time required more than new furniture and a lick of paint.

A round building and a ceiling that fits

Architect Anne de Bruijn's vision centred on openness and connection. A transparent new entrance facade, a park-like forecourt with water features, and interiors designed to feel like an urban piazza, with lounge seating, lush greenery and an all-day bar drawing visitors through the space.

"You immediately get a bond, a form of communication with the outside. And inside, the inviting feeling continues," said De Bruijn.

The ceiling was central to making that interior vision work. It had to complement the warm palette of greens, dark blues, terracotta and original natural stone floors without dominating the space. And it had to follow the building's distinctive circular geometry, which was anything but straightforward to install.

So how do you fit a precise, seamless ceiling into a building with no straight walls?