The 45-year-old Royal HaskoningDHV head office in Amersfoort is one of the most sustainable offices in the Netherlands, having received the BREEAM-NL In-Use certificate ‘Excellent’ for user management. The company was presented with the certificate by the Dutch Green Building Council on 26 September 2016. The head office becomes the oldest office building in the Netherlands to receive this rating.
BREEAM-NL In-Use is an environmental assessment method for existing buildings. Its methodology covers three areas: the building itself, the way it is managed and its use. The head office had already scored ‘Very Good’ on all three areas in April and has just received the higher ‘Excellent’ award for its use, which relates to occupier management.
“The ‘Excellent’ score for the use of our head office building provides recognition for the fact that internally we apply sustainability across its full breadth,” says Frits Smedts, Director Services at Royal HaskoningDHV. “Our focus extends across the performance of the building assets and operations and into the sustainable management of activities within the building.”
Successful sustainable renovation
Annemarie van Doorn, Managing Director Dutch Green Building Council: “Royal HaskoningDHV has demonstrated that in a short period of time a lot is to be gained from incorporating sustainability into business processes. In addition, the certification demonstrates that the successful sustainable renovation of an old building dating from 1971 is also possible.”
Practise what you preach
The company’s own sustainability experts played a key role in creating a sustainable head office. Ragna Clocquet, Senior Consultant, Sustainable Building and Energy: “We advise many companies and institutions on making their buildings and organisations sustainable. A healthy working environment for employees is an important factor in this respect. In line with our conviction to ‘practise what you preach’, we successfully initiated and managed the BREEAM certification within our own organisation.”
About the Head Office
Royal HaskoningDHV is the Netherlands oldest engineering consultancy, and celebrates 135 years of operations in October. The company’s head office was commissioned in 1971 and designed by architect David Zuiderhoek. An exceptional split-level building without separating walls, it still functions effectively as an open-plan office.
In 2011, the company completed an integrated renovation of the building, which increased its energy label from G to A. High user satisfaction was maintained during implementation of an extensive package of measures including a new glass façade, solar-controlled sunshades, roof insulation, smart lighting and climate control systems.
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