Robeco is an international asset management firm with its head office based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The company occupies the first seven floors of a high-rise located right next to Rotterdams futuristic central train station. The buildings facade consists of large areas of that offer(building)passers-by a view of what is going on inside the building. Robecos purchasing specialist Sjoerd Hoedemaekers explains that visibility alongside other factors such ascosts, sustainability and accessibility was a major reason why they chose this building. We did not want to be located in a sealed fortress. It may sound like a clich, butworkstations phone booths or openness and transparency are important to us.touchdown spots) This commitment to openness is also evident in the interior.All the work areas in the building are open. A full-height atrium, topped by a glazed roof, connects all the floors. The aesthetics could be described as corporate, but also as warm and friendly. White desks are neatly arrangedon grey or beige carpets. Social areas are dotted with designer furniture and modern art. Natural elements such as bamboo flooring and plants add a human touch. Sjoerd remarks: We asked for understated chic and the architects have been successful in delivering this.In terms of functionality, too, the building works as it should. Sjoerd: Our earlier building was a high-rise with small floors and people tend to stay on their own floors. So, people were sending one other emails instead of meeting face-to-face. Here, we see much more of one other. One the best decisions according to Sjoerd was to provide only one coffee corner per floor. Its a simple but effective strategy. There are around 140 people on each floor, and they all go to the same spot to get their coffee. This means they get toMeeting rooms are frequently used for phone see a lot of different colleagues and not just the memberscalls. Robeco is considering adding dedicated of their own team. phone rooms for this purpose.