The building formerly used by Dutch National Railways was converted by an architectural team comprising Civic Architects, Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau and Inside Outside/Petra Blaisse, while Mecanoo developed the interior furnishings of the library, cafe and office spaces now set within.
Additions built in steel play on the industrial aesthetic, while the introduction of oak surfaces and a colour palette of reds and oranges lend a touch of domesticity.
The design is intended to offer flexibility in work environments, ranging from the social end of the spectrum by the cafe to more isolated desk spaces by the library.
A wooden “stair landscape” doubles as an intromptu workspace en route to the upper floor, while train tracks left uncovered on the concrete floor can be used to rearrange tables.
Envisoned as a space in which to also hold events, these tables can be aligned to create stages, catwalks or slid outdoors.