The stairwell provides a balance in the building between the standardized laboratories and a playful, people-oriented architecture – an important consideration in a building where tech workers, who have high expectations for the quality of their office spaces, will share with science workers, for whom laboratories are unable to provide the same perks. Matrix One’s stairwell will thus allow scientific workers to feel pampered in the same way that has become normal in the tech sector. The stairwell greets users immediately upon entering the building, operating as a perfect meeting place to stimulate interaction between different users. Entrances on both sides of the building are also connected via a large, inviting atrium.

“Matrix One has everything it takes to become a striking landmark that is perfectly integrated into Amsterdam Science Park,” says MVRDV partner Frans de Witte. “In the design, all areas are kept flexible: office space can be converted into laboratory space with minor adjustments and vice versa. In addition, the common social area in the stairwell offers excellent opportunities for the people who work there to learn from each other. Because Matrix One will house multiple companies and laboratories, it creates a spirit of cross-fertilization and innovation.”