Working with Meaning: An Office Interior Crafted from Cultural and Material Waste

This small office interior forms part of the transformation of a listed industrial workshop into a combined living and working space. Through spatial clarity and material storytelling, the project shows how discarded materials can shape a rich and reflective work environment. The result is an interior that offers both functional quality and quiet reflection on cycles of life, death, and reuse.

To preserve the building’s original robustness, we developed a typology of façade openings that allows variation within a strict architectural grid. New Accoya frames were set back behind the original openings, keeping the historic facade visible and maintaining a dialogue between old and new.
Inside, we worked with materials traditionally classified as waste. For each, we explored how its transformation could enrich both product and process.

Three key examples define the interior:

1. Terrazzo floor from gravestones
The project began after reading a newspaper article: gravestones from cleared cemeteries are treated as waste and used in road construction. The idea seemed both absurd and disrespectful—how could cultural artifacts be discarded so casually? Research confirmed the practice: expired grave leases lead to mass reburial, and the stones are crushed as fill. After a few phone calls, we sourced 25 tonnes of discarded gravestones, free of charge. We began crafting terrazzo from them—a process that soon evolved into a broader community initiative. Working with these materials brought new rituals and reflections on life and death into the space, connecting ecological responsibility with cultural awareness.

2. CLT interiors from an Audi expo pavilion
In Munich, 300 m² of 120 mm-thick cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels formed the roof of an Audi pavilion. After the two-week event, the panels were offered for reuse. We milled them into tongue-and-groove blocks, enabling reassembly like LEGO bricks. The CLT’s structural and visual qualities are fully expressed in cabinets, frames, and doors. The blocks remain freestanding and can be disassembled and reused.

3. Wall panels from surplus wool
The Netherlands produces over 1.6 million kilograms of sheep’s wool annually; only one-eighth is used, the rest incinerated. The Hollands Wol Collectief transforms this surplus into felt. We used it to make acoustic wall panels, giving value to a material otherwise considered waste.

Conclusion
This project demonstrates how creative reuse can elevate discarded materials into elements with functional and emotional significance. The result is a unique working interior—one where every surface tells a story of craft, cycles, and conscious design.