Factory Apartments / Elephant

A new function for the building and the façade. The former Fluor office building in Haarlem was designed in 1972 with the idea that it could accommodate any future function, making it easily marketable. This forward-thinking proved to be a sustainable investment that we are now reaping the benefits of. The building boasts an outsized scale, with a footprint of 80 by 37 meters and ceilings reaching 3.6 meters high. Back then, the open structure with expansive mushroom columns and spans was ideal for small office cubicles, while the repeating column structure in the façade offered a sense of enclosure. Now, the building has been stripped, with the cubicles replaced by loft apartments. This transformation completely altered the function of the interior and the façade: from work to living, from enclosure to openness, and from overview to wide view.