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What did AFAS require for the gardens?
As they named the campus AFAS Experience
Center, they also wanted to extend the experience
philosophy into the gardens. The gardens are very
visible from the inside and are a real eye-pleaser,
but when you head outside you can experience them
to the fullest and interact with them. But otherwise,
AFAS gave me a lot of liberty, which is very nice to
work with at such a scale.
The campus focuses on 4 pillars: meet, work, relax, and connect.
How did you integrate these values?
Steef van der Veldt, the architect for the building, already incorporated these values into the building
itself and its interiors, and I extended them outdoors. Cooperating with him allowed us to blur the lines
between the indoors and outdoors.
In the gardens, I wanted to create different atmospheres so that each garden has its own identity. You
can, for example, sit quietly among the grasses and seasonal plants in one garden or choose to sit on
the square which gives a different vibe. There’s also a sort of outdoor amphitheater in the hill and a bit
further on, the sporting island where you are surrounded by water.
INTERVIEW
Bart Hoes
Landscape architect of AFAS
Creating an outdoor
experience at work
