chance encouters
The Van Marken Food Innovation Center intended for receiving customers and (jointly) developing, testing and tasting products. Besides laboratories and these kitchens, the building also houses demonstrations kitchens and a brewery, cheese factory and bakery. The central staircase is designed as a place for chance encounters. Large plants, warm colours and interior finishes in natural materials such as wood, bamboo and rough-woven fabrics counterbalance the technical equipment and cleanness of the labs, creating a warm atmosphere. The ease of the interior stems from the close collaboration between cepezed and cepezedinterieur from the start of the design process. The staircase ends on the second floor in an informal, living room-like space.