For many people in Amsterdam, the real fascination of the city lies not along the canals but behind the facades, in the secret courtyards hidden from view. While the front-facing architecture is strictly monitored by preservation boards, the backsides are much looser, evolving into eclectic landscapes of sheds, extensions, balconies, and improvised technical systems. Because these spaces are rarely open to outsiders, they carry a certain mystique. The GMK 5 project placed us right in the middle of such a courtyard, allowing us to contribute to this layered environment.

The new office building was designed with restraint: its form is simple, its materials pragmatic. Deeply recessed openings avoid declaring the building’s purpose outright, instead offering discretion in both directions and a touch of ambiguity. At ground level, the relationship with its surroundings becomes more direct, with windows looking out onto a brick-paved driveway that continues seamlessly from the building itself. The courtyard is left largely unadorned, save for scattered patches of grass that will gradually take over.

Within this understated shell, creative agency First Day of Spring has made its home. Practical elements are concealed behind a Masonite partition, while movable mirrored walls and integrated LED panels give the interior a flexible character. The workplace can shift effortlessly between focused office, dynamic event space, or even a hidden nightclub when the occasion calls for it.