EVBox is an international developer of electric charging station solutions, with a mission to help the whole world move towards sustainable transportation. With 600 employees in 13 countries, of which more than 350 in Amsterdam HQ, they have grown rapidly over the past 10 years. This called for a different internal approach to knowledge sharing and collaboration. This approach led to a new, future-proof office with plenty of room for flexibility and growth. Drees & Sommer accompanied EVBox with the design of their new headquarters.

Location
A new location was found in the Go-West building in Amsterdam where EVBox rents four floors. The architectural firm D/DOCK was responsible for the overall design and created a completely new environment where employees can spread out over three floors, but can also come together in different areas, such as the “collaboration garden”. It has become a healthy office with lots of green, warm colors, various workplaces and rooms to recharge your batteries.

Sustainability
In the design, Biophilic design is applied: designing with nature. Not only abundant plants and greenery in the office, but also lighting, acoustics, materials, colors and shapes contribute to the feeling of being in touch with nature. This reduces stress and has a positive effect on the health of the users. Sustainability was high on the agenda of the client EVBox. Many second-hand and circular products have been used in the building. Moreover, the layout is designed in such a way that it can be adapted to the desired layout at any time.

COVID
The COVID-19 crisis broke out during the realization. Despite this uncertain time, the team prepared the new headquarters for the future. The occupancy of the EVBox employees was zero during the first start-up, but the first reactions spoke for themselves.

Job Karstens, Head of PR & Event Marketing: “Deciding where I will spend my time will be tough: will it be in the many green spaces, the coffee bars, the informal meeting rooms, phone booths, the meditation room or the ping pong room?”