Work and leisure come together

The most striking shared amenities are the game room and the place for an interim nap at the office, with a massage chair and three sleeping cabins that can be darkened. Is there really a need for that? "On a tour I entered the relaxation room while talking. Immediately I hear, 'shh, we're trying to sleep.' Yes, the spots for a power nap are already being well used," says Martijn van Wezel, creative director of Kragt.

Kragt develops work environments and also fits them out itself, from design to execution, such as in the Videolab on Strijp-S and the PSV stadium. Kragt has taken over the beautiful top floor of building TQ with the new concept MELT. Six weeks ago the fit-out was finished; by now only four of the fifteen office units are still available. Not for nothing is Van Wezel already thinking about rolling out the MELT concept elsewhere in the city, in Amsterdam, "and why not across the whole world," says Kragt's creative director, who himself is also based just around the corner on Strijp-T.

MELT is primarily intended for service-oriented scale-up companies in the technical/creative industry that are ready for something bigger, but do not yet want to or cannot rent an entire building. "You notice that many shared workspace concepts are not very flexible when a company grows. We solved that here," said Koen van Loon of Kragt. At MELT, a company rents a fixed unit of four, six, ten or twenty workspaces. In addition, each tenant can take out a number of 'memberships' for employees. These 'members' can then make use of the shared facilities and the individual workspaces.

,,What you see is that a company, for example, starts a branch in Eindhoven with a few fixed workspaces. Some employees then only need to be here occasionally. For that the company takes a few member spots, so that those people can come here to work," says Van Loon. ,,And that also fits perfectly in this corona time: employees who work from home can then also come to the office. We also see that with our own people who can now also temporarily come here," says Van Wezel.

The fixed units are glass offices spread across the floor, always adjacent to the outside, with a view and their own roof terrace. A kind of smoked glass was chosen, for privacy and to prevent the shop-window effect. Tenants can to some extent make the interior their own. Furthermore, on the floor there are a sort of phone booths (mainly for video calling at the moment), quiet rooms for working, conversation units for two people, large sofa sets for lounging or working, and a presentation room. Centrally located there is also a pantry – a kitchen to prepare lunch or dinner. With a couple of good espresso machines. "The good coffee indicates our level of quality," says Van Loon. And of course the corner where you can game on a big screen. And the room with the sleeping areas.

"Power naps? No, that's not for me, I don't wake up well after an afternoon nap," says Ivo van Reij of Organic United, one of MELT's tenants. "We are big fans of the roof terrace and the balconies. That's where the buzz happens, even in Covid-19 times. Like today at the first Friday afternoon drinks, although it shouldn't get too cozy. We also sometimes play FIFA in between. And I also like to join in at the weekend. Soon we're thinking about starting the day together at the Eindhoven Gym in TQ, although for now that's only outdoors. To then start the day at the office feeling fresh and energized."

Van Reij took a next step with his company that brings organic farmers and their buyers together, from Microlab on Strijp-S to TQ. ,,We have grown to four employees and here we have the opportunity to grow further in a professional, sustainable environment. Here we also find a bit more connection with the other tenants who are engaged in sustainability. Our people in sales, who are often to be found out in the fields, can then work here a few days a week as members."

MELT must facilitate the users in the 'new way of working', say Van Wezel and Kragt. ,,For this generation work and leisure merge into a single whole, hence the name MELT. That brings the living and working environment together", says Van Wezel. ,,So the children come along and they can have a nice game here for a while. Or a company cooks a communal dinner in our kitchen", says Van Loon.

But isn't it much better to separate work and private life? ,,We only facilitate where there is a need in the target group", says Van Loon. ,,Companies want to retain young talent and use an inspiring workplace for that. For many younger employees that also has a social aspect where they find a sense of belonging. A beer on the roof terrace, working out together in the building's gym. That's what they're looking for; they specifically don't come here just to work." ,,We want to remove that traditional office feeling", adds Van Wezel. ,,We create an environment where you don't watch the clock. Where you can still stay after five o'clock. And then you can enjoy dining here on the roof terrace, instead of at home." Van Loon hopes to further raise the service level by soon being able to offer a prepared lunch. ,,And if the coronavirus measures allow it, we also want to have a hairdresser come by. If there is a need for that."