Rotterdam-based TOMAS
DIRRIX, who earned a master’s
degree in architecture from
Delft University of Technology,
works with the cultural and
material aspects of buildings,
factors that led to his selection
for ‘The Challenge’.will become a destination – a haven for
unhindered performance and a resort for
concentration and production.Tell us about The Office Resort... It’s a
new type of office building that functions
as a retreat – not for relaxation but for
productivity, for getting things done. The
building caters for different kinds of work:
individual spaces aid concentration, larger
rooms are suitable for groups or meet-
ings, and huge production halls complete
the picture. Instead of affording views
of natural scenery, the building is orien-
tated inwards. Its terraced layout invites
occupants to look out on a ‘landscape’ of
efficiency. In an intertwined world of work
and leisure – with constant access to vari-
ous stimuli – the challenge is to establish
pockets: island-like environments in which
activities are uninterrupted.How do you think your concept can
improve today’s working environment?
The Office Resort is merely a thinking exer-
cise. Its hypothetical nature enables me to
portray a future scenario; it’s not supposed
to be a positive intervention into the current
environment. Look at it as a device – a way
of viewing what’s potentially to come. It
exposes the limitations of the status quo and
the impossibilities of a freelance society. I
hope The Office Resort will raise questions
and, in doing so, will have a positive influ-
ence on the shape of tomorrow. – TI
ateliertomasdirrix.comoffice. Not only do work and leisure often
run parallel. There’s also a potential for the
two to merge.How do you see things developing in the
future? Rather than requiring specifically
designed moments for relaxation, we will
desire focused, uncluttered workplaces.
Conducting work in a concentrated fashion- something we used to do only at the
office – will become a luxury. The office
What’s your take on the current state of
work? TOMAS DIRRIX: The classic distinc-
tion between work and home no longer
exists. An increasing number of people
freelance, and the physical office is fluid.
Thanks to technology and mobility, we
can perform certain tasks remotely. It’s no
longer necessary to live where we work; we
can now work where we are. Armed with a
laptop, we’re able to set up shop in environ-
ments more pleasurable than the traditional
The inward-facing layout of The Office
Resort – a retreat for concentration
and production – blocks distractions
from the outside world.39