Rijk Zwaan
Seed Connect Centre.
Multi-purpose
meeting centre
As a global player in vegetable breeding, Rijk Zwaan develops innovative vegetable and fruit varieties from its head office in De Lier, Zuid- Holland.
With over 1,800 vegetable varieties - including lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper, melon and various types of cabbage - Rijk Zwaan supplies high-quality seeds to professional growers worldwide.
In the new Seed Connect Centre, seeds are cleaned, treated, packaged and prepared for sale. In addition, the Seed Connect Centre has an important meeting function for Rijk Zwaan visitors and employees alike.
Client
Rijk Zwaan Zaadteelt en Zaadhandel
Category
Experience centre
Scale
5500 m2
Location
De Lier (ZH)
RoosRos Architects
Assignment
Due to safety requirements, Rijk Zwaan can no longer receive and tour visitors at the various research sites as they always did.
Develop a fundamentally renewed concept in which Rijk Zwaan can tell its story and receive visitors in one place. Also consider the working environment, from office workplaces to consultation rooms. Make sure this concept is in harmony with the architecture of the building designed by RoosRos Architects.
Result
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Abstract corporate values become tangible experiences that visitors will remember for a long time.
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Through interactive installations and sensory elements, the complex world of vegetable breeding becomes comprehensible to both subject specialists and visitors without in-depth knowledge.
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The experience visualises the entire value chain in three dimensions, giving partners insight into their role within the larger ecosystem around food security.
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In an age of digital domination, this physical experience centre proves its strategic value as a unique showpiece.
Ambition
Our ambition was twofold: first, to create an efficient working environment that optimally supports employees in their daily work. And secondly, the interior functions as a tangible translation of the company philosophy. A spatial experience that directly connects visitors to the core and expertise of Rijk Zwaan.
Telling stories
Instead of traditional tours of greenhouses and laboratories, the Seed Connect Centre now offers a thoughtfully designed experience that starts right at the entrance and leads visitors through the heart of the new building. Through research and story-driven design techniques, Rijk Zwaan's value chain and business philosophy were brought to life three-dimensionally together with Rijk Zwaan.
Reception
An open reception area ensures direct human contact, a key value of Rijk Zwaan. The impressive wall shows the evolution of Rijk Zwaan: from modest family business to global player in vegetable breeding. A mini cinema provides context to global food challenges.
Interactive storytelling
The spacious upstairs restaurant serves as a centre for events and meetings, but also tells the greater story of the integrated food chain. Interactive installations make complex processes insightful: a holobox projects a spinning chromosome, while at an interactive table visitors learn about plant breeding through play.
In an adjoining space, different vegetable varieties are presented, from coloured cauliflower to various tomato varieties.
Here, visitors literally taste the result of years of research.
Footbridge
A walkway connects the story of Rijk Zwaan with the operational heart of the company. Visitors are taken at height into the normally hidden processes of seed cleaning, handling and packaging. Infographics explain the process and visitors can follow it live.
Workspaces
Boundaries between working and meeting blur at the Seed Connect Centre. A 140-seat auditorium facilitates internal and external presentations that can be streamed globally to all other Rijk Zwaan locations.
Spread pantries encourage spontaneous conversations, while quiet workstations provide balance between concentration and connection.
Design details
The design language is inspired by natural elements and cellular structures, with soft, flowing lines and rounded corners. The colour palette tells Rijk Zwaans' story: eggplant red, tomato red and pepper yellow refer to the crops, while blue symbolises water and sky, and earthy tones refer to the substrate.
Added value
The Seed Connect Centre offers Rijk Zwaan a unique business card in a market where differentiation is becoming increasingly challenging. It visualises the entire value chain from five perspectives: consumer, grower, food processor, retailer and Rijk Zwaan itself.
This approach makes abstract concepts like innovation, ‘sustainability’ and ‘cooperation’ concrete and positions Rijk Zwaan as both seed supplier and partner in a complex ecosystem.
Team
Visit this place?
Lieke now knows her way around the greenhouse landscape, but especially the Seed Connect Center. She would be happy to show you around de Lier. Contact Lieke@c-e.design
Lieke now knows her way around the greenhouse landscape, but especially the Seed Connect Center. She would be happy to show you around de Lier. Contact Lieke@c-e.design
