Powerplant spills the beans on future workplace experience design

Powerplant, multidisciplinary design studio for sustainable and healthy workplace experiences, brings a real conversation starter to the Workplace Design Show in Amsterdam: their Solution Bar.

Challenging the status quo of the coffee break, the Solution Bar offers future-proof alternatives to suit individual tastes. Recognising that individuals require different concoctions - solutions! - to (re)energise and socialise, Powerplant gets tongues wagging about the workplace of the future. Powerplant invites project developers, architects, and office dwellers alike to come and spill the beans.

The Solutions Bar is a prime example of Powerplant’s unique approach, playfully unpacking received notions while always anticipating what’s next. But beneath this seemingly light-hearted surface lies a wealth of research, an integral part of Powerplant’s approach, culminating in their bi-annual trend forecasts. Constantly tapping into the vein of an ever-shifting field enables them to be not too late, not too early, but right on time.

A library of since-proven trend forecasts of years past can attest to that. Says founding partner and managing director Jan Willem van de Sande: “That’s the brain of the company, amassed over the years. Powerplant designs healthy and sustainable workplaces and we know where it’s headed.”

As organisations grapple with the challenges of bringing employees back to the office, Powerplant rises to the occasion for new perspectives on workplace design. “A great restaurant experience is a place you want to return to again and again,“ continues Van de Sande, who draws from a long and high-flying career in hospitality that also informs Powerplant’s careful, detail-oriented process and dedicated work ethic. “Why should an office be any different? It's not just about creating functional spaces; it's about designing environments that employees want to return to.”

For booking.com's new campus at the Eastern docks of Amsterdam, Powerplant developed a holistic food concept with no less than three restaurants spread over as many floors, each with their own, carefully curated offering. All food is prepared off-site, saving crucial square metres that now benefit the guest experience. Even from behind their desks, employees get to savour the weekly menus, always anchored in the seasons and booking.com's activities, as they appear on the app and intranet.

Powerplant envisages hospitality not as an afterthought, but an integral part of an organisation’s workplace and interior design. Take for instance facility managers HEYDAY’s facility management headquarters in Den Bosch. After an engaged and thoughtful creation process with HEYDAY’s team, Powerplant developed a hospitality concept, interior and workplace design.

The concept feels like a clubhouse, carefully tuned to Heyday’s brand values; it’s a place employees take pride in. The design forefronts their autonomy: all elements marked in blue can be touched and adjusted and many of the spaces are flexible, to be reprogrammed as needs arise. Of course, much of the design is circular, re-using and recycling where possible to further reduce the footprint.

Roland van Herk, Operational Director of HEYDAY remarks: “Our new clubhouse oozes HEYDAY, thanks to our great collaboration with Powerplant. It’s become a place where HEYDAYers come together, inspire each other to bring out the best in themselves.” David Kulen, Powerplant’s creative director, adds: “We make spaces that generate energy.”

Without sustainable practices in the now, there is no future to anticipate. Interior builders Gielissen contributed their salvaged materials to the Solution Bar. “We immediately connected to Powerplant’s creativity in earlier projects for PwC and Nationale Nederlanden”, says Account Manager Raoul Mesu. “Their fresh perspective on vitality aligns perfectly with our own vision.” The Solution Bar was built from extraordinary materials, like sheet materials made from denim scraps, mussels shells and flower leaves. “That makes us happy, that we get to use these scrap materials after all in a beautiful project like the Solution Bar.”  

Feel welcome and visit Powerplant’s Solution Bar atthe Workplace Design Show for a pick-me-up and an energising chat.

NOTE TO THE EDITOR

Workspace Design Show
11 & 12 oktober 2023
RAI, Hall 11 (Stand C22)
Europaplein 24, Amsterdam

*Network Party 11 oktober 17.30 – 21.00

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Register for free here: ENG

If you’re interested in an interview with founder Jan Willem van de Sande and/or creative director David Kulen or have other (media) inquiries, don’t hesitate to contact Anoek Hagenaars: E: anoek@powerplant.nl | M: +31 616604577

Mede mogelijk gemaakt door: 

FORBO
Forbo has been producing and supplying sustainable flooring solutions for both the project and consumer markets for more than 120 years. Forbo is a global market player in linoleum, (project) vinyl, carpet tiles, Flotex flocked flooring, entrance systems, sports floors and ESD. The company is part of the Forbo Group and listed on the Swiss stock exchange. Forbo Flooring Systems has offices in 27 countries worldwide, including 15 production locations. LINK: www.forbo.com

GIELISSEN INTERIORS
Gielissen Interiors | Exhibitions | Events is a global player in creating high-end interior projects, showstopping exhibition presentations and unique events that make a lasting impression. Over the last 86 years, the company has grown to become the market leader in the Netherlands and is among the top five in Europe.. LINK: www.gielissen.com