Facilicom did not want to come back with more of the same in terms of corporate catering after the lockdowns. Because of 'the new way of working' (working where, when and how you want), the concept of 'the office' had already changed in recent years: more flexibility and space for meeting, less fixed workplaces. Now it is also the turn of 'the canteen'. Melissa de Waal (project manager at Facilicom), Silke Roelofsen (formula manager at Food&i) and interior designer Izabela Cwiklinska of Studio Iska worked intensively last year on Food&i's flagship in Facilicom's own premises in Schiedam. The three were given the freedom by Joost Smaal, ultimately responsible for the new food & beverage division within Facilicom's service package. Facilicom is one of the largest service organisations in the Netherlands - with a field of activity ranging from cleaning, security, facility management, construction & installation to catering.

Pure & healthy

Melissa and Izabela already knew each other from Food&i's first concept, LivingLab, for the company restaurant of office building Willemswerf in Rotterdam. In this - their own - building in Schiedam, they had more freedom to deepen Food&i's look. Silke Roelofsen stepped in to develop Food&i's toolkit, suitable for customisation at the client's premises. "Sustainability is a key principle of Food&i, with an offer that is free of e-numbers; pure, healthy and with chain responsibility. That means - as popular as they are - no avocados because of food miles, low waste, less meat and more plant-based. At Food&i, as much is prepared on site as possible, you literally get a peek into the kitchen. Everything is fresh and homemade, the base comes from two so-called 'dark kitchens', driven out by New Fork, also from Facilicom."

Third place

Despite the high degree of freedom, there were also fixed values, Izabela recalls: such as the yellow-orange-red from the corporate identity and the prominent dark red ceiling in the space on the fourteenth floor. But also: the high windows all around and the insane views of the ports and Rotterdam's skyline. "The challenge was in creating a functional space for hybrid working - 'third place' combined with the look of Food&i and the sustainability aspect. Sustainability is also in working with what is already there," states Cwiklinska. I like doing things that are actually just too difficult. I set the bar high and that's how I keep challenging my clients and myself. The designer - together with the team - chose chairs in punchy yellow and red - from the spray-painted frame to the upholstery made of recycled materials. The green furniture - and lots of plants - add calm and balance to the whole. De Waal: "It was a nice process to choose the materials together. At Satellite, we had plenty of sustainable options to choose from, such as the PSF table tops made of recycled plastic."

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