In 1997, the VPRO moved from its former premises, a group of 13 villas, to the new ‘Villa VPRO’. Over the years the villas had played a vital role in establishing the VPRO’s identity. The staff, who had previously worked in en-suite rooms, attics, sun lounges and on first floors, were tasked with adapting to a ‘real’ office environment.

The question that became central to the design of Villa VPRO was whether the informal and flexible use of the old villas, which undeniably influenced the programmes that were made in them, could be translated into a modern office designed for maximum efficiency. In other words, would ‘informality’ be able to survive the increase in scale? Was there any point in retaining the villa as a metaphor?

A verdant grass covered roof hugs the ‘geological formation’ of Villa VPRO and replaces the landscape lost during construction. Floors are connected by a plethora of spatial devices: ramps, stepped floors, monumental steps and small rises. The resulting office ‘landscape’ makes possible a wide range of work spaces that meet the ever changing and diverse demands of the VPRO. Reinterpretations of lounge, attic, hall, patio and terrace types echo the VPRO’s old premises whilst being firmly rooted in the future.