Sandberg Institute

Working with Studio Anne Dessing, we designed a new interior for the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. The interior assignment stems from plans for new accommodation for the Sandberg Instituut together with the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. The aim was to design a varied range of spaces for the students and employees of ten different master’s programs.

The challenge was to make separations between the various departments that cancel noise and provide a certain degree of privacy. But the design also has to communicate the openness and transparency of the institution. Therefore we proposed a series of transparent gates which can be opened and closed to establish multiple visual and physical relationships while simultaneously subdividing the space.

We visited several companies to investigate which gates provide a high level of acoustic isolation and could be applied for indoor use. Both, the large communal ateliers and the smaller private studios are subdivided by these industrial elements. Each gate has an integrated door to improve circulation and spatial flexibility.

Furthermore we have added some “specials” to spice things up. The lobby area—the most important threshold—is covered with iridescent polycarbonate panels to illuminate the entrance to the ateliers.