ING’s new Amsterdam headquarters, designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects and HofmanDujardin, is the transparent and sustainable new home for 2.800 employees. The office, called ING Cedar, embodies a new way of working: agile, flexible and innovative, and inspires people to meet, connect and be creative. Cedar consists of two five storey volumes connected by a glass footbridge that ensures a fast link between all levels. The building, the interior and the surrounding park are designed as an integral, welcoming whole, establishing a new typology for financial institutions: instead of emphasizing security and power, the architecture focuses on transparency, connectivity and collaboration. The highly sustainable, human centric design is a notable example of ING’s purpose to empower people in a building that opens itself up to society. While Benthem Crouwel Architects was responsible for the architectural design, HofmanDujardin designed both the full interior and the dynamic, floating platforms and staircases that criss-cross the two spacious atriums at the building’s heart. The interior is all about empowerment and well-being. You feel the freedom when you walk in. The platforms connect places and people and bring the vibrancy up to the highest levels of the building. On the lively ground floors a world of possibilities opens: you can visit the coffee bar, food court or event halls or take a seat in one of the various informal meeting places. The layered range of environments matches the variety of individual wishes of a big bank’s staff. All places have a human scale and carry their own qualities and atmosphere, while everything is harmonious and connected. The expressive wooden platforms symbolise the 21st century bank’s identity as a digital platform. They form grounded spaces and create physical and visual connections that naturally stimulate ING’s employees to collaborate. Visible from everywhere around the atriums, they also provide orientation points and encourage people to take the stairs. The platforms are fast becoming favorite places to hold spontaneous meetings and small gatherings. Flexible and moveable metal frames allow them to act as temporary ‘rooms’ for anything from business meetings to interior gardens, art exhibitions or a break-time birthday celebration. All office floors are accessed from the platforms through warm textured entrance zones, each with their unique furnishing to create recognizable diversity. This agile work environment features a well-balanced variety of spaces that give full freedom to choose where and how to work and meet. Colorful clusters of meeting rooms accommodate anything from private calls to group meetings. Furthermore, each level has a silent area for concentration, with a reading table and a series of private booths. Throughout the building excellent acoustics ensure a sense of well-being and make it easy to focus. Lots of plants, big trees and 300 works from ING’s large collection of art add another layer to the experience of the interior. All is finished with a balanced palette of warm tones and natural materials, while a touch of orange hints at ING’s strong visual identity. This makes the generous building not just an empowering and healthy place to work, it also gives this leading bank a new face.