De Nederlandse Bank

New spaces for a modern working culture: the renovation of Dutch bank DNB

After 50 years, the headquarters of De Nederlandse Bank in Amsterdam underwent extensive renovation. The reason for this was the relocation of gold reserves and banknotes to the cash centre in Zeist. This allowed the building, designed by Marius Duintjer in 1968, to be restructured. The renovation, which took the original design into account throughout, began in 2020 and was carried out by the internationally active architectural firm Mecanoo, based in Delft. After five years, the building was completed in 2025.

Part of the renovation work involved the bank employees' workspace. The conference rooms were furnished with the S 845 and S 847 swivel chairs designed by Lepper Schmidt Sommerlade for Thonet. A special feature of both chairs is the accentuated separation of the shell and frame. The moulded wood seat shell has formal analogies to automotive design in the cut of the surfaces, which Thonet transferred to the material wood. The resulting ergonomic shape with special upholstery offers a high level of seating comfort. Thanks to the natural materials, the chair blends harmoniously into the Dutch bank's workspace. The building features numerous glass fronts that allow an open view of the greenery and provide plenty of daylight. Due to its well-thought-out concept, the working environment has been awarded WELL Platinum certification and is therefore particularly noteworthy.

A distinguishing feature of Thonet furniture is its exceptional customisability. This flexibility is enabled by the company’s own production facility in Frankenberg. For the Dutch bank’s project, the S 845 and S 847 chairs were precisely tailored to the design concept by selecting different veneer and stain colours as well as various leather and fabric upholstery options. The final choice fell on nappa leather upholstery combined with frames made of oiled oak or oiled walnut. Both versions, with and without castors, were used.

Another part of De Nederlandse Bank was made accessible to visitors. The old vault now serves as an entrance on Frederiksplein and houses an exhibition and event rooms. Where there used to be a car park around the tower, there is now the publicly accessible Frederikspark city garden, which visibly embeds the bank in greenery. Another outdoor seating area opens up on the wooden deck along the Singelgracht canal. The renovation received the BREAAM Outstanding sustainability certificate, which underlines the sustainable approach of the project, reflected in the consistent reuse of existing components and the use of FSC-certified and circular materials.