The Apollohouse is one of Amsterdams most striking monuments. The building dates from 1938 and was designed by Dirk Roosenburg to house the Rijks Verzekerings Bank. Commissioned by Allen & Overy, the current occupant, Fokkema & Partners Architecten recently renovated this stately building and outfitted it with a new interior; from entrance hall, restaurant, conference centre to the 450 workplaces for the employees.

When the Apollohouse was just built, it was a very innovative building with a clear structure, high ceilings and affluent daylight. For Fokkema & Partners Architecten one of the main design principles was to bring back the old qualities in timeless way. This is achieved by restoring the original ceiling height and emphasizing the original clear structure of the building. Some vanished details, fortunately sometimes only concealed, could be restored to its original state.

To encourage and improve contact between employees on different floor levels new stairs have been made to connect the office floors directly. These provide extra routing possibilities and views from one floor to at least two other floors. The materialisation and detailing of the new interior is inspired on the 1930s but is also contemporary, high-end, light and timeless. The result is both classic and modern.

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