EIT Food, Leuven

Team

Fixed Workspots: 38

Industry

Non-profit Organization

(Food innovation)

Objectives

A space that supports fluid communication and ideas exchange

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Space

Size: 546 m²

Year: 2018

Location: Leuven

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Refreshing and biophilic design for the EIT Food department in Belgium

As their business grew, EIT Food was ready to move into a new office and create a workspace designed for interaction and collaboration — everything their team wanted.

Top 3 priorities

A place that invites for flexible and collaborative work
A home for innovative and sustainable approaches
"NOT your typical office!"

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Look & feel

Warm and welcoming yet modern and innovative

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Special touches

Custom wooden structures inspired by greenhouses
Round swing inspired by EIT food logo

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Tailored spaces

Spacious open kitchen and café with integrated planters
Outside terrace
Custom phone booths

EIT Food is committed to improving the food chain on all levels.

They help to connect consumers with businesses, startups, and researchers throughout Europe and actively fund startups they feel can innovate within the food sector.

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The Context

EIT Food was evolving, and their office just wasn’t working anymore.

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With a new space ready, it was time for significant changes. Their team wanted to create a welcoming workspace that reflected their strong collaboration. They wanted to bring in the EIT Food spirit to make the space feel cozy and inspiring.

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The team was a crucial part of the creative process, and we wanted to hear their opinion and ideas. The main requests for this project included:

Emphasizing the EIT Food brand and company culture
Openness and collaboration
An environment full of light
Natural and green elements
Sustainability
Designing a unique office

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We had only three months to make this ambitious dream a reality, during a construction holiday!

Green office renovated by Space Refinery

Focus area in the newly renovated office for EIT Food

The Outcome

Collaboration is essential at EIT Food. In the cafeteria, we created a multifunctional space where all team members could come and relax, chat about projects, meet, and connect.

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We built a wooden structure to establish a designated work area. The cube structure was designed as an impromptu meeting area. Because sustainability is such an essential concept at EIT Food, we reused the large glass panes that came with their new office and saved them from the landfill by reinstalling them in private phone booths.

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EIT Food’s brand colors – blue and green – are accents throughout the space. Drawing inspiration from their logo, we also installed a circular swing to add a bit of playfulness and spontaneity to the area.