Location: Cognizant, Amsterdam – NL / Dealer: Interior Works / Design & projectmanagement: Ideal Projects / Photography: Ideal Projects

Cognizant, Amsterdam – NL

Cognizant is a leading global service provider that helps clients transform their business, operational and technology models for the digital age. Together with clients and partners, Cognizant works on innovative digital solutions by modernising technology and reinventing processes. Cognizant’s Dutch office is located in a former chewing gum factory in Amsterdam. Today, this industrial complex is bustling with energy due to the wide variety of creative organisations.

Cooperation with time pressure
Cognizant is an organisation that works flexibly and on a project basis. The existing office layout and appearance, with many traditional workstations, no longer met current requirements. The new interior concept had to have the appearance of a studio that connects employees. With creative meeting places where employees and customers can work together in comfort in a homely atmosphere. The mostly creative people want to be able to work anywhere, provided with the right facilities at a high quality level. The project needed to be completed within three months.

Cognizant hired Ideal Projects for the design and project management. Ideal Projects contacted directly with InteriorWorks as dealer and Casala as furniture supplier. These three parties have had a good relationship for years and that was important to realize this ambitious project with lots of customization under time pressure. Deadline was the weekend of 5 September 2021, when the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Zandvoort was held. As a sponsor Cognizant wanted to receive their international clients in the renewed Amsterdam office.

Atmospheres
Bruno Vermeersch and Iefke Machielsen (Ideal Projects) explain that for the new Cognizant interior existing furniture was used, complemented with new elements. In the open spaces, two different atmospheres were created. One where communication is important using warm, earthy colours and soft materials. And the other, cooler atmosphere for areas where focused work is important. The dissonance between the rough, industrial design and look of the building and the functions of the studio are reflected in every aspect. The lighting, plants, furniture and use of materials and colours all play an important role in creating these atmospheres.

“From the traditional workplace to an open space with furniture for both discussion and concentrated work.”

Bruno Vermeersch & Iefke Machielsen – Interior architects Ideal Projects

Work and meeting areas
The industrial building, with its large open spaces and loft, provides plenty of light and air. On the first floor, various semi-closed workplaces have been created both in the open space and in the alcoves. The workplaces are equipped with electrification, which was one of the important requirements. The modular soft seating programme Bricks from the Dutch designer Robert Bronwasser was used for this. Bricks offers many possibilities for customisation and improves the acoustics in the room. This seating range in shades of red brings warmth to the interior and playfully gives identity to the working areas in the office. The acoustic Bricks Walls or the walls of the niche offer employees enough privacy.

Concentrated work
Because of the large, open spaces, there is also a great need for privacy when making phone calls and concentrated work. Several Boston phonebooths with upholstered panels have been installed to meet this need. For extra comfort and functionality, a table top and electrification have been added to the Bostons. People who like to work somewhat shielded without being completely isolated from their surroundings use Capsule. The round shape and rich upholstery in two warm, earthy tones are a nice contrast to the cool, industrial office environment. Capsule is often used for catching up, discussing or preparing for a meeting.

Open and fresh appearance
Erik Plooij and Anne van der Werff of Interior Works indicate that the cooperation with Cognizant, Ideal Projects and Casala also went well and constructively in this project. Because of the time pressure, many decisions had to be made in a short time by different people. The office of Cognizant was given a new lease of life within the set deadline, resulting in an open and fresh look.

“Realising a new interior design concept within three months with a lot of customised furniture requires good cooperation.”

Erik Plooij – Sales & Business development manager InteriorWorks

The employees of Cognizant are very satisfied with their new office environment and they really feel at ease there. They also experience it as an inviting place to receive guests, whom they can easily take along in the world of Cognizant. A new project at another Cognizant office has already been started, which underlines the good feeling Cognizant had with the realisation of this project.