A consistent interior
Peter Vos, account manager at Gispen: ‘Working from Cepezed’s interior drawings, we furnished the Police Headquarters. The process began with extensive consultations with the police and Cepezed, during which we refined the product selections together. Determining the correct quantities for each floor was quite an undertaking. The building has six floors and covers a considerable area. Now that all the products have been installed, a clear and consistent interior scheme has emerged, with the same products recurring throughout the building to create a strong sense of unity.’
Gispen supplied Techo Fount tables, including models with black soft-touch tops. Peter: ‘People often wonder whether the black tabletops really remain free of fingerprints. The mock-ups allowed the police to experience this for themselves.’
Working safely and comfortably
In addition to bespoke meeting tables, Gispen supplied desks with integrated cubbies and electrification, delivered fully preconfigured. We also installed tables in the interview rooms. To create a comfortable working environment, we supplied acoustic panels and partitions, as well as office chairs designed to withstand constant use and provide round-the-clock comfort.
Annelies: ‘You can think of the building as a hand with five fingers. Each finger has its own accent colour, reflected in the coloured strips on the floor. Gispen SDK cabinets in exactly the same colours are positioned along these strips, creating a harmonious whole.’
Flexible scheduling
Logistics presented another challenge. When construction experienced some delays, Gispen introduced a phased and flexible delivery schedule. Peter: ‘We arranged storage for the furniture that was already ready and worked with the police to draw up a clear plan outlining what could be delivered and when.’ Annelies: ‘That flexible approach worked very well for us.’
How is it working out?
Annelies: ‘It is a wonderful building to walk through. On the one hand, it is very open, yet the workspaces still feel private. The building is bright and green, with atriums and a roof garden. We have found that our ambition for flexible working does not work equally well across every department in practice. People still tend to establish permanent workspaces, so we need to provide more guidance as this way of working develops. At the same time, we recognise that flexible working simply is not possible for some teams. Together with my co-lead, Chantal Beusekamp, I look back on a successful project.’
