Tommy Hilfiger’s Peoples Place

This great building called Tommy Hilfiger’s Peoples Place which is actually built from renovated Atlanta Building is built by Marc Prosman Architecten and Daniel O’Kelly (Tommy Hilfiger). This headquarter is located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Which was built in 2009, this building is covers an area for about 820 square meters.

The Atlanta building first floor is designed by F. A. Warmers in 1925. Until it is refurbished and renovated. Then after the renovated, this Atlanta building has become an extension of Tommy Hilfiger’s European headquarter. The unique of this headquarter which be the differ than the other is the restaurant which is placed inside the headquarter. While the restaurant itself has a bar. With all of it, the people place will be used for pre-sale events and meeting for staff, guests and business customers. While the progress, from the design itself is collaborated between Marc Prosman Architecten and Daniel O’Kelly of Tommy Hilfiger. This collaboration itself is intended to exude an ambiance referring to the atmosphere of a dining experience in America from the 1950s.

About the renovation and refurbishment; the extra space which is exists itself inside the Atlanta building is totally demolished, renovated and refurbished. Then the original mezzanine for this headquarters in sight is returned. A spacious atrium is provides the greater access of the light and it is provides the necessary height of the intervening space, the restaurant. The diffused light is flows inward. It because at the strategic places is openings to the inner court which is made in the black wall. The entire back room is built as a box-in-box construction; it is in order to create the good acoustics and to avoid the noise during the club night. The front part is decorated as the lobby and bar; a diversity of furniture offers employees the opportunity to have lunch or meetings. The mezzanine with billiard table and chairs serves as a lounge.

During the progress, the street facade on the ground floor is completely renovated and the wooden canopy and the window’s shop are brought back to its former glory. The new display is allows of the plenty of the light deep into the building which is previously the congested front permitted sparsely daylight which flowing inside. Besides, which the resorted of the front glass is regenerates the contact between inside and outside. The display case and the wooden sun canopy make the facade as a whole returned to its former glory. The bar area and restaurant are separated by the frosted glass slide walls. The other functions like the open kitchen and dish-washing kitchen, and toilet facilities are stacked and placed on the right side of the restaurant.

While about the ambient of this headquarters, the result of a close collaboration between marc prosman architect and Art Director of Tommy Hilfiger is the building interior itself. The order is comes from the North American fashion brand to the new concept of People Place to be a comfortable and relaxes atmosphere. Simultaneously the architect itself is indented to create an interior which is looks as if it has always been there and feels instantly familiar. The furniture items and the natural materials are chosen like warm brown, green and gray tones.  The brick wall which is placed behind the bar is just like the original concrete supporting structure left in view. The walls around the restaurant are largely covered with curtains in ochre colored velvet. The floor consists of the crosscut ends of used wood. The kitchens are tiled with glazed tiles in ivory color.

For the style information about this building; within the collaboration between Daniel O’Kelly and Marc Prosman Architects, the developed style which is evokes the atmosphere of the painting and Nighthawks (1942) in particular, of the American painter Edward Hopper (1882-1967). When the night is comes, the wide windows shops is puts the interior in a glow, the light is emitting the curtains offer views on the street life of the Stadhouderskade .The padded seats, bar with large glass buffet in the shape of the Tommy Hilfiger logo and curved windows is refers to the characteristic structure of American hotels and dinners from the fifties of the last century.

The building style idiom has been applied inside the building place such as the L-shaped wooden staircase with the twisted balustrade and the collection of the original furniture and the tables from the forties, fifties and sixties to mention a couple examples. The caisson ceiling in the area bear – partly to improve the acoustics – the stylistic brass fittings which is together form the number 85, a reference to the founding year 1985 of Tommy Hilfiger.

The last, more about the Atlanta itself; Tommy Hilfiger Europe BV resides since the late eighties in the building “Atlanta” which is designed by the architect F. A. Warmers (1888-1952) in 1925 for the American car company REO Motor Company. The ground floor is the showroom for the latest Chevrolet’s models. Above six office floors are hired. On top of ‘Atlanta’ is stands the tower which is crowned with two wings, the emblem of REO. Over the entire width of the building front glass is allows the pedestrians and passers to peak into the car showroom (source: BONAS).

 

by Marc Prosman Architecten and Daniel O’Kelly