For two years, our office was located in Impact Hub Oceans in Haarlem, where we enjoyed collaborating with other impact-makers. This inspiring workspace was developed by none other than Dopper, and we were curious about their vision behind this building. To learn more, we spoke with Merijn Everts, founder of Dopper and initiator of Oceans, about their innovative projects and the role of spatial branding in them.
Moodboard as a Foundation
Merijn explains that the concept of Oceans originated from collaboration among Dopper employees during two sessions, where data was gathered and translated into a fitting moodboard. This moodboard served as the basis for further shaping the concept in collaboration with the architectural firm.
A Former Laboratory
Oceans is located in an old monumental building at 26 Gonnetstraat in Haarlem. Built in 1937, the building served as a laboratory for many years. In 2019, it was purchased by Oceans and renovated. The building retains many original elements, such as restored windows and reinstalled old laboratory doors. The stones have been cleaned, but the history is still visible.
The Importance of Spatial Branding according to Merijn Everts
According to Merijn, spatial branding and a good spatial strategy are crucial for an optimal customer experience at Oceans. All visitors are very enthusiastic, and a community has been built where events are also organized.
And what are the future plans for Dopper? Merijn has a big dream to eliminate the plastic bottle from the world, but now that Dopper is doing well, he has a new ambition: to make aviation more sustainable. He believes that people will always want to keep traveling, so the goal is to do it in a sustainable way.
"Spatial Branding is crucial for an optimal customer experience at Oceans." - Merijn Everts, founder Dopper"
We found it very inspiring to talk to such a driven entrepreneur. Merijn and his team are real changemakers and continue to inspire their customers to make the world better.
Would you also like a workshop with your target audience?
Are you also an entrepreneur with a mission and need help gathering data from your users and translating it into a core mood board for your spatial vision? We work in sessions with your target audience to establish a strong foundation for spatial design. Call us or leave a message in the contact form!
