Space Encounters Office for Architecture

Few things tickle the fancy of Amsterdammers more like the inner courtyards of the city blocks. While heritage commissions tightly regulate the canal-lining facades, behind, they permit a greater freedom. Should you be so lucky to enter one, you will most likely encounter a cacophony of sheds, annexes, balconies and systems of installation ducts following their own inimitable logic. That most courtyards are not publicly accessible only adds to their lure. With the design for the GMK 5 office we got to build right in the middle of one courtyard.

True to its context, the building’s silhouette is elementary and its material logical. Deep windows do not give its function away immediately, but provide two-way privacy and add a tinge of mystery. The ground level connects more directly to its surroundings, while its windows overlook the shared driveway that is paved in the same brick. The only attire of the courtyard space are the random grass patches that will grow here.

Inside the courtyard building, advertising and branding company First Day of Spring has taken up residence. All serving functions have been hidden away behind a Masonite wall, while mirror-clad movable walls and LED walls allow them to flexibly use the rest of the office — or turn it into a booming hidden night club should the need arise.