GROUP A | Building Beethoven AkzoNobel

BUILDING BEETHOVEN AKZONOBEL

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AkzoNobel

BUILDING BEETHOVEN AKZONOBEL

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BUILDING BEETHOVEN

AkzoNobel

AKZONOBEL

GROUP A, Dura Vermeer, AkzoNobel, Stibbe Catja Edens, author Frank Hanswijk, photographer

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EDITORIAL A new building is a unique enterprise, a collective effort by many different parties working in areas such as design, engineering, technology, interior design, management, Human Resources and communications. Once a building has been completed, this process tends to quickly fade into the background. Of course, this is as it should be. The building starts to live its life and becomes part of everyday reality.

This book is part of the dual publication Bouwen aan Beethoven, about two special new buildings in the Beethoven sector of the Zuidas: the AkzoNobel Center and the head office for Stibbe.

The publication is an initiative of architectural firm GROUP A, developer and builder Dura Vermeer and tenants Stibbe and AkzoNobel.

The editors, Cor Broekhuizen, Tineke Dikken, Catja Edens, Peter de Haan, Folkert van Hagen, Aaldert ten Veen

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This book is our way of taking a moment to reflect on the process of how the new AkzoNobel Center at Amsterdam’s Zuidas came to be built, the result of the commitment of a large group of dedicated professionals who each contributed according to their discipline.

The building was designed by the architectural firm GROUP A and developed and built by Dura Vermeer in collaboration with a wide range of co-developers. AkzoNobel in its capacity as future tenant was closely involved in the entire process as well. This book serves as an illustration of the entire process, from initial idea up to occupation, in all its variety. It covers a wide range of aspects, such as the urban context of the Zuidas, commissioning, contract drafting, architectural design, sustainability, technical innovation, corporate social responsibility, cultural engagement, interior design and much more. A comprehensive photographic report shows the AkzoNobel Center at every stage of its development, from building site to commissioning. The many contributions made are illustrated by a series of conversations with some of those involved, from crane operator to CEO.

INDEX Ton Büchner, CEO AkzoNobel Introduction

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Klaas de Boer and Willemijn Gribnau ‘The market discovered this area’

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Gregor van Lit, Folkert van Hagen and Thomas Offermans ‘We had time to fine-tune the designs. That makes for better, more attractive buildings’

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Marleen Munniksma ‘Concessions are inevitable, otherwise the money allocated for nature will be spent on legal proceedings’

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Hans van Rooijen ‘The school has become involved with the neighborhood again’

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Piet Schalkwijk ‘Buildings are not the key feature of AkzoNobel. People are’

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Aaldert ten Veen, Roland Huitink, Peter Krop and Roy van Lieshout 58 ‘The negotiations were fascinating, a bit like a rugby match: hard, but fair’ 68

Frans de Zwart and Cor Broekhuizen ‘It doesn’t help if everyone is busy trying to protect their own interests’

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Steven Aalders and Kees Vos ‘You can only evoke emotions if you proceed in a rational fashion’

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Arend Baan and Frank Deltrap ‘It is important that all the parties involved, the subconstractors and the suppliers, take a close look at what they’re making’

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Bram Dieke ‘Bulding is a bit like raising a child’

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Cees Vreeburg, Bert Corneth and Bent Mühlena ‘These are high-quality, premium buildings which offer far more than investor architecture’

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Marten Booisma and Arnoud Verdoorn ‘The AkzoNobel Center has become the beating heart of our company’

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Fokko Kip and Peter de Haan ‘We wanted a building where people would feel at home straightaway’

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Bas Stoker, Wilco Zintel and Harry Wolbrink ‘Of course the ICT facilities had to be taken into consideration from the start’

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Jacco Paauw, Jeroen Krijnders and Kirsten van Vollenhoven ‘The whole sustainable building concept is developing rapidly’

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Toine Koppers ‘All those cans and containers of Sikkens coatings and wall paints, that’s a great sight!’

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Nathalie Quéré ‘The AkzoNobel Center reflects the values of our company in every aspect’

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Quint Ramerman and Roel Teeninga ‘This project is really top of the bill. As you can tell from the final result, no expense has been spared’

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Raymond Leentvaar and Laurens Zeegers ‘It’s a privilege to make furniture for challenging projects such as the AkzoNobel office’

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Hester Alberdingk Thijm ‘We display our collection in a lively working environment.

That’s very different from a museum collection’

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Erik Bouw ‘My pictures enable me to give people a real answer when they ask what my work is like’

INTRODUCTION BY TON BÜCHNER

Make no mistake, this was a mammoth project which had to overcome some significant hurdles, not least the specter of an unforgiving economic climate. Yet we succeeded and the magnificent new building is testament to the teamwork and commitment of all the partners, who made such an important contribution.

Our vision was to create one of the most innovative, sustainable and beautiful structures in the Amsterdam Zuidas district. A true global center which would reflect AkzoNobel’s status as one of the world’s leading industrial companies. Having moved in at the beginning of 2016, we are thrilled with our new home, which is much more than just a building.

A key aspect of the design lies in its sense of connection. Not only does it create new dynamics in terms of sharing knowledge and working together, but it will also play a vital role in helping us to become smarter, more creative and more inspiring. In addition, the introduction of Smart Working has introduced new energy and excitement as technology becomes increasingly relevant to our daily activities. The ground floor Art Space, meanwhile, has allowed us to engage with the community by opening up our art collection to the public.

Another major consideration during the development of the project was the focus on sustainability. As well as being carbon neutral, we’ve used as many sustainable materials as possible, including our own products – which can be found on virtually every surface. It was therefore extremely pleasing to see the building awarded a BREEAM Excellent certification.

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It’s been an incredible journey. One which lasted almost a decade from start to finish. But everyone involved in the construction of the new AkzoNobel Center in Amsterdam should quite rightly feel a deep sense of pride and satisfaction in what has been achieved.

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Much more than just a job well done, the new AkzoNobel Center is a triumph of creativity, ingenuity, determination and sheer hard work. Particular credit goes to Group A architect Folkert van Hagen, construction company Dura Vermeer and the many suppliers and AkzoNobel employees who were involved, all under the dedicated project leadership of Piet Schalkwijk and on-site management of Harry Wolbrink. It proved to be a genuinely outstanding example of one of our own company values – winning together.

This book offers some great insight into what it took to create such an iconic building. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy going to work every day in the stunning AkzoNobel Center.

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‘THE MARKET DISCOVERED THIS AREA’ In conversation with Klaas de Boer and Willemijn Gribnau

As project manager for the municipality, Willemijn Gribnau is responsible for the development of the Beethoven sector. She too became involved in the development of the Zuidas at an early stage and has worked on different sectors since then. Gribnau: ‘From the first, I thought the Zuidas was a terrific project. It’s all very complex, a lot of parties are involved and things are moving very quickly.

The highrises and the scheme to build a motorway underground in particular appealed to me straightaway.’

The infrastructure bundle which traverses the area as a central axis was a key issue from day one. The Planning Department had three options: maintaining the present situation of a motorway and railway on a dike, putting the infrastructure on a deck or a viaduct to enable traffic to pass freely underneath, or putting the bundle underground, which would result in substantially more free ground. In other words, it meant choosing a dike, a deck or a dock.

In the meantime the Government, the Urban Region and the Province have joined forces to build the dock option. The motorway will be underground and double in size, from three to six lanes on each side. Total cost: 1.8 billion euros. Putting the railroad underground as well would have meant doubling the costs, so this was not viable. As Gribnau puts it: ‘There are going to be a lot of changes in terms of

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Klaas de Boer is a member of the Zuidas Board of the Municipality of Amsterdam. As Director of Amsterdam’s Spatial Planning Department (DRO) he was involved in various large-scale municipal developments including IJburg and the Eastern Docks area. He was also present in the earliest days of the Zuidas project. Says De Boer: ‘The interesting thing is, the market discovered this area. In the late 1990s we as DRO were working on the development of an international business center along the IJ. But ABN AMRO wanted its head offices to be closer to Schiphol. To them the south side of the city was the area ripe for development. Then we as the municipality said, if the market is going to move in that direction, we will facilitate this.’ Soon the first structural scheme was on the drawing board, to be followed by a master plan.

transport in the coming decades. Maybe, in thirty to forty years time there will be far less car use, in which case we won’t need so much motorway capacity underground and can use part of it for railway tracks.’

The dock will mean no more noise from the motorway and so will contribute to a much better quality of life on the ground. This is highly relevant when it comes to the sustainability of the Zuidas as an urban area. The same goes for a good program mix. In the end the aim is to have one third offices, one third residential and one third facilities and services. According to De Boer, ‘Such a combination makes for lively and busy streets also outside of office hours. It makes the area strong, attractive and resilient when it comes to future developments.’

By concentrating primarily on offices in the first phase, the Zuidas succeeded in marketing itself as a business district with good architecture, an international business climate and high prices.

By now the focus has shifted to creating a more balanced environment through provisions such as schools, hotels, a court and a child center.

Also, plenty of houses are under construction – even more than offices at the moment. The Gershwin sector to the south of the station is mainly residential, as is the Ravel sector. Buyers are mostly from nearby Amsterdam-Zuid and Buitenveldert, renters come from all over the world.

The success of mixed programs is clear from such foreign examples as La Défense in Paris, where the residential component was also added at a later stage, the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, which also houses several theaters, and Canary Wharf in London, where a good mix has likewise been achieved by now.

With the presence of educational facilities such as the Rietveld Academy and the St. Nicolaaslyceum, many shops and bars and restaurants and the VU University Medical Center, the Zuidas offers a wide range of services likely to keep increasing. Gribnau adds: ‘And in Hello Zuidas, the area management organization, public and private parties have joined forces to guarantee qualities with regard to sustainability, liveliness, accessibility as well as a clean, intact and safe exterior space at the Zuidas. In addition, the program 15 by 15

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‘The highrises and the scheme to build a motorway underground in particular appealed to me straightaway’

is instrumental in organizing all sorts of events such as Art Zuid, the Hotel Night and the Zuidas Run.’ De Boer: ‘But if you ask companies what their main reason is for wanting to do business here, then the proximity of Schiphol, only seven minutes away, continues to be at the top of the list.’ Another important argument is the community of recruiters and accountants at the Zuidas, which is very attractive for smaller companies without in-house lawyers or an audit department. The Netherlands also has an attractive fiscal climate and there is the pull factor of the ‘amateur metropolis’ that is Amsterdam. De Boer again: ‘Lastly, the Zuidas now has a lunchbreak environment worth mentioning, particularly on and around the Zuidplein.’

Zuidas development is now at the halfway stage. An important component is the station, which in terms of looks is a poor match for its surroundings, although the shops at either end constitute a significant improvement. In the future the passage underneath the tracks will be widened to 63 meters and there will be a further passage more westerly. Also, the platforms are to be widened and there will be more lifts and escalators. From 2017 the Noord/Zuid metro line will terminate at the station, making the area more accessible still.

The Beethoven sector stands out in many different ways: it houses the offices of large multinational companies such as AkzoNobel and the legal firm Stibbe and the St. Nicolaaslyceum secondary school, offers the green surroundings of the Beatrix Park.

Gribnau: ‘Fortunately, the crisis is behind us at last, but the trajectory for this area had its anxious moments. In 2008, just after we had prepared the whole site for construction and cut down all the trees, AkzoNobel was forced to call a halt to its plans. At that moment their business operations did not allow them to begin building. You cannot make employees redundant on the one hand and build a grand new office on the other.’ Next, in 2010 ING announced that they did not want to continue with the project and were scaling back. This turned into a lengthy legal procedure. Where ordinarily speaking you are on the same side as the developers because you both want to create a really nice area, all of a sudden it became a very different story.’

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‘There are going to be a lot of changes in terms of transport in the coming decades’

By now Alan Overy, the original customer for one of the buildings, had opted for a different site and Stibbe had taken their place. In the end, both Stibbe and AkzoNobel wanted to carry on with the project.

In Dura Vermeer they found a developer and construction company in one. And so the two buildings could eventually be built together, as it had been intended from the start.

‘The proximity of Schiphol, only seven minutes away, continues to be at the top of the list’

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Gribnau: ‘The whole thing did lead to resistance among the residents.

After all, we had cut down all those trees prior to 2008 to prepare the site for building and then nothing happened for a long time. People complained about the number of offices already built and wondered whether any more were needed. They also wondered whether the planned office buildings were going to be built at all. On the basis of a green-for-red principle the area where the old St. Nicolaaslyceum had stood was then added to the park, by way of compensation.’

The Beethoven sector will be mostly public space with a more built-up area close to the school, while south of the school it will be greener as it adjoins the Beatrix Park. The trees and green spaces provide a real sense of the seasons. A public cycle path will pass between the two buildings and with facilities such as a lobby, café or library in the plinth the buildings will contribute to the hospitable nature of the area. The construction of other projects in the Beethoven sector will make the area livelier still.

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‘WE HAD TIME TO FINE-TUNE THE DESIGNS. THAT MAKES FOR BETTER, MORE ATTRACTIVE BUILDINGS’ In conversation with Gregor van Lit, Folkert van Hagen and Thomas Offermans

Gregor van Lit has worked in many different areas in Amsterdam, including Overamstel, the Havenstraat area and Nieuw West, but the Zuidas is special to him. As he explains: ‘The Zuidas is a high-quality, very built-up urban area. Its key qualities are its accessibility and the architectural mix. Until recently it mostly had offices, but now there are some residential buildings as well.’

Thomas Offermans stresses the position of the Zuidas as a European level economic hotspot, comparable with La Défense in Paris. Another sign of the importance of the Zuidas is the many parties involved in the area’s spatial development. Folkert van Hagen: ‘We have a situation where time and money are available and where there are a great many influential parties who make their views known. This makes things complicated, but it also ensures you can come up with some very elaborate designs.’ It is important for all parties involved in the development stage to see their ideas and points of view reflected in the eventual buildings. The architects are at the heart of this process.

By listening carefully and using visual means to show the spatial consequences of any choices made, what an area or a building will look like, all parties come to share in the process.

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Gregor van Lit is a Municipality of Amsterdam urban planner who has been working at the Zuidas for several years; in addition to the Strawinsky sector, he is now also dealing with the Beethoven plan.

This involves intensive collaboration with the AkzoNobel and Stibbe building teams. Thomas Offermans was the Jo Coenen Architects & Urbanists project architect for the Stibbe building, while Folkert van Hagen of Group A took on the same role for the AkzoNobel building.

During the planning stage they often sat around the table together.

It was a fascinating and intensive process. Folkert van Hagen: ‘It took ten years in all, a proper life’s work, you could say.’

‘The plinth is a very direct contribution by the building to the quality of life of the Zuidas’ The open aspect of the ground floor was a key starting point from the first design sessions in 2007. This was also why it was decided to have all loading and unloading take place via the parking garage, so that unsightly electric doors at ground level could be avoided. The relationship between the Zuidas and the Beatrix Park bordering on the southeastern side of the Beethoven sector was also relevant. The Beatrix Park represents a soft, green transition from Amsterdam-Zuid to the urbanity of the Zuidas. With their characteristic rounded edges the buildings in the Beethoven cluster highlight this transitional zone.

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Key focal points at the Zuidas are quality of life and human scale.

Van Lit: ‘The Zuidas should be a good place to be 24 hours a day.

This is central to the program, with additional residential capacity being especially important.’ High-grade plinths for the buildings are another target. Making these transparent and using them to house as many public functions as possible means they extend the public domain at ground level.

These starting points also found expression in the Stibbe and AkzoNobel buildings. In the Stibbe building a concrete band forms the demarcation line between the ground floor and the remainder of the building. At AkzoNobel the entire ground floor is ‘accessible’; there is a route from the entrance hall right through the building to the extension of the Beatrix Park on the other side. Van Hagen: ‘This transparent plinth with public functions tied in perfectly with the Human Cities principles, an AkzoNobel initiative aimed at the quality of life in cities all over the world. This plinth is a very direct contribution by the building to the quality of life of the Zuidas .’ The AkzoNobel Center was given an inviting ground floor with an information center, the AkzoNobel Art Foundation and a coffee bar. Offermans explains that the Stibbe building likewise houses public functions on the ground floor. Offermans: ‘This is most unusual in the world of the legal profession. They set a great deal of store by discretion and they are used to closed doors.’ Even so, the people at Stibbe were aware of the societal importance and gave their auditorium a semi-public function.

Local groups such as the Friends of the Beatrix Park can use the auditorium for their meetings.

The narrow sheltered area between the two buildings gives the park a tangible quality and stresses its nearness. Here a special area was created, one which could be said to embrace the visitor. Van Lit: ‘The two buildings respond very positively to the different directions in the area. They are finely proportioned, with a good balance of horizontal and vertical lines. In spite of their dimensions, these buildings radiate a sense of shelter. In all, it means we managed to achieve the human scale we aspire to here at the Zuidas.’

The Beethoven cluster is the result of an intense collaboration of the landscape architect (originally Karres + Brands, then Ton Muller of the Municipality of Amsterdam), the St. Nicolaaslyceum with their building designed by DP6, Stibbe, AkzoNobel and the municipality. The first years meetings were held every month. Such an intensive trajectory is unusual. Offermans: ‘It may seem like a very time-consuming approach, but by the same token it can save a lot of time. When everything has been discussed beforehand, it becomes much easier to deal with the things in your path, such as licences.’

Van Lit: ‘The process was characterized by openness. Consultation offered a safe situation for the parties to talk freely and act as each other’s sounding boards.’ He is convinced that these joint sessions of architects, urban planners and landscape architects have led to greater cohesion and quality in the design and would like to see a similar approach used in other projects.

The whole trajectory also saw intensive communication with stakeholders and people from the area, albeit with a distinction made between the architecture and the park. Information sessions were scheduled for the buildings, while for the park co-creation sessions were organized where neighbors and the Friends of the Beatrix Park could share their thoughts and put forward proposals for the changes to be made to the park. Van Hagen: ‘Co-creation has to be more than an end in itself. The participants must be seen to have actual influence. Here this worked out very well and resulted in valuable changes being made, for instance the construction of a good cycling route from the park between the buildings to the station.’

The trajectory that led to the construction of the Stibbe and AkzoNobel buildings was a long one. Offermans: ‘Decision making had

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‘In spite of their dimensions these buildings radiate a sense of shelter’

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to go through many stages and that takes time, but it also means that there is proper support for the decisions once they are made.’

Van Hagen: ‘What happens in Amsterdam is that you start out by discussing everything over cigars. That’s a nice way to get to know each other, find out about the others’ views and ideas. Because you do not have to make final decisions straightaway, there is enough time to go over the designs and fine-tune them, and that makes for better, more attractive buildings.’

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‘CONCESSIONS ARE INEVITABLE. OTHERWISE THE MONEY ALLOCATED FOR NATURE WILL BE SPENT ON LEGAL PROCEEDINGS’ In conversation with Marleen Munniksma

Like many Dutch parks, the Beatrix Park was a 1930s employment project. Over time it came to be squeezed between various urban development projects. One of those is the RAI complex, which opened its doors in 1961 and has expanded at a rapid pace ever since, frequently at the expense of the park. When in the early 1980s RAI cast greedy eyes on three hectares of the Beatrix Park for the construction of the new Parkhal, a number of residents had had enough. In 1981 they joined forces and set up the Friends of the Beatrix Park Association, whose membership has increased rapidly.

After some years living abroad Marleen Munniksma returned to Amsterdam-Zuid in 1989.

Munniksma: ‘My sons were about five at the time, so I was becoming more interested in schools, playgrounds and parks. This involvement made me decide to join the board of the Friends of the Beatrix Park Association, and since 2002 I have been its chair. Ours is a real neighborhood interest group and most of all we want to preserve the park for the neighborhood, as one of the few open spaces in Zuid.

This is about the only place for miles where dogs can run around freely.’

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The Beatrix Park is situated on the east side of the Zuidas, next to the Oud Zuid district. It is frequented by dog owners, runners and other recreational users from the surrounding area. ‘The realization of the Zuidas project will add a new group of users,’ explains Marleen Munniksma, who chairs the Friends of the Beatrix Park Association. ‘After all, people working at the Zuidas will want to get away from their desks every now and then. The Beatrix Park offers them a nice place for a walk or a lunchtime sandwich. The motto of our Association is: the greater the number of people enjoying the park, the better.’

When after a ruling by the Council of State RAI finally obtained permission to build in the park, what is known as the green-for-red principle came into force. In exchange for the land being built on, another area of the same size could be added to the Beatrix Park.

Moreover, it was stipulated by Royal Decree in 1991 that further erosion of the park had to be prevented. ‘It is one of the Association’s most important achievements,’ Munniksma explains. ‘That and stopping an extra motorway exit being built near the park and a Noord/Zuid metro line stop planned right in the middle of the park.

Together with the Dutch Cyclists’ Union and the district, we made it possible for the east/west bicycle route to be extended through the park over the RAI terrain.’

The Zuidas was the next urban development project bordering on the Beatrix Park. Munniksma: ‘As soon as the first construction plans for the Beethoven sector were published, we went over to AkzoNobel to tell them that this was not the most convenient place to build. When it turned out construction could not be stopped, the Association’s aim instead became the acquisition of compensatory land and a responsible policy with regard to the cutting down of the eight hundred to one thousand trees which had to go. In the end, the ‘just in time’ principle allowed the trees to remain standing until the very end and also new trees were planted as compensation.

Munniksma: ‘We are not activists, we protest very respectfully and responsibly. From day one we have entered into regular consultation with the Zuidas. We often speak at meetings of the district and the municipal council. In such cases I try to take a creative approach, for instance by using Lego blocks to make a case or by handing out liquorice in the shape of cars. Because our association membership always included legal experts, in the past we often went to court as well.’

However, since 2012/2013 the Friends of the Beatrix Park Association has changed course. Munniksma: ‘Legal proceedings tended to be exhausting and produced a lot of negativity. Good relations and good consultation lead to much better results. Concessions are inevitable.

Otherwise the money allocated for nature will just be spent on legal proceedings.’

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‘The greater the number of people enjoying the park, the better’

While the oldest section of the park has had the status of municipal monument since 2005, protecting the park as a whole remains essential, Munniksma stresses. Thus the area added to the park as compensation in the 1990s came under renewed threat with the realization of the Beethoven sector. Coordinated policies of the parties meant that once again the green-for-red principle was applied and the land freed up by the demolition of the old St. Nicolaaslyceum could be added to the park. That area was designed in a process of co-creation with ‘neighbors’ Stibbe and AkzoNobel, the St. Nicolaaslyceum and the neighborhood association, as well as with representatives of the district, the municipality and the Cyclists’ Union. Munniksma: ‘A large part of the design will include water. Not only do we need to be able to store water, water can also be used to reinforce people’s experience of their green surroundings.

Besides, it represents the best possible protection against further Zuidas expansion. After all, you cannot build or park on water.’

The Friends of the Beatrix Park Association has by now found supporters in AkzoNobel and Stibbe, for they also value green surroundings. Munniksma: ‘We now have to make sure that the new section of the park is designed as soon as possible. That will add quality to the area. Also: the older and more mature the green space turns out to be, the better it will be protected once construction of the Zuidas dock starts.’

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‘Good relations and good consultation lead to much better results’

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‘THE SCHOOL HAS BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AGAIN’ In conversation with Hans van Rooijen

The St. Nicolaaslyceum was set up in the 1950s by the friars of the Sacred Heart. Just off the Beatrix Park a complex was built consisting of a school, a monastary and a chapel. The old school buildings have since been demolished. Like the monastary, the eye-catching circular chapel is still in place and at the moment is a temporary home to a restaurant, As. When Hans van Rooijen became headmaster in 2008, the plans for the new building were already in place. ‘It helped that I had dealt with large-scale school building projects before. The plans for the new St. Nicolaaslyceum were pretty ambitious. Because the school owned the land on which the old building stood and so could sell it, there was much more money available. This in turn created a lot of ambition.’

The new St. Nicolaaslyceum was to be a transparent school with the main focus on educational options and safety. The school board also wanted an environmentally friendly building which would be sufficiently flexible to deal with future educational changes.

Van Rooijen decided to make some changes to the existing plans.

This meant four of the five planned open ‘study areas’ in the building being turned into classrooms and changes to the central atrium so it could double up as an auditorium. In combination with a number of well-insulated practice areas, this provides the space for classes in the performing arts as part of the school’s focus on culture.

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For the St. Nicolaaslyceum the completion of the new building in 2013 meant a new lease of life. For years the school had quietly gone about its business in an out of the way corner of Amsterdam-Zuid, tucked in between the Beatrix Park and the A10 motorway. It was by no means one of the most popular highschools in Amsterdam – ‘a bit behind the times,’ in the words of its former headmaster, Hans van Rooijen.

The new building has given the school a central role in society, literally as well as figuratively. The study program on offer has been fine-tuned and there is all manner of cooperation with parties at the Zuidas. ‘The school has much greater visibility now.’

The most important quality by far of the new building, however, is its transparency. No matter where you are in the building, you have an overview and can see what is happening elsewhere in the school.

This makes for an open and inclusive atmosphere in the school, the main effect of which has been a decrease in the number of incidents (such as bullying and vandalism) by as much as 35 percent. Moreover, on its new site the school is entering into an open relationship with its surroundings, including its neighbors Stibbe and AkzoNobel and the Beatrix Park. Van Rooijen: ‘The school has become involved with the neighborhood again, for instance through collaboration on a cultural level. In fact, Art Zuid junior, a prize for young artistic talent, was won by one of our students. We also benefit increasingly from the Beatrix Park for biology and sports activities.’

The move to the new site in the Beethoven sector made the St. Nicolaaslyceum part of highly urbanized business surroundings with room for culture and education. Here the school has put up a modern, sustainable and compact building. Van Rooijen: ‘The Zuidas has the most expensive land in the Netherlands, which is why we exchanged a generous site bordering on the park for a plot the size of a postage stamp. This meant our building had to be very sophisticated, with an intelligent structure and a high density to provide enough space for all our wishes and ambitions. And we managed to do that.’

Although originally the offices of AkzoNobel and Stibbe were scheduled to be built first, things did not go according to plan.

Also, because of the financial crisis the construction of these buildings was postponed several times and the St. Nicolaaslyceum became the first building to be completed in 2012. During the entire process from drawing board to use, discussions with AkzoNobel and Stibbe were ongoing – especially through the Zuidas consultations, which take place six times a year.

The main talking points concerned the development of the public areas, exposure to the sun, wind discomfort and the cycle path.

Exposure to the sun soon proved not to be an issue. The shadows cast by the two neighboring buildings do not affect the school and so special measures were not required. This wind discomfort issue was resolved by putting up a glass screen around the raised basketball court. The cycle path was another matter. Van Rooijen: ‘We had

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‘We also benefit increasingly from the Beatrix Park for biology and sports activities’

moved the school’s entrance to the rear of the building so as to leave more room for the large numbers of students coming and going and their bikes, all with an eye to safety. Having a cycle path on this side, as was the plan for some time, would have negated this effect to a large extent. Consultation with the many parties involved eventually resulted in the east-west cycle path being situated between the Stibbe and AkzoNobel buildings.’

‘It is all about group processes, about how to hold your own in society’

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The new site enables the St. Nicolaaslyceum to get maximum benefit from the combination of Zuidas, Oud Zuid and Beatrix Park. Van Rooijen expects the area to become more lively in future and that the cooperation with institutions and businesses in the area will lead to even greater benefits. The new building designed by DP6 makes for an attractive and appealing school. Van Rooijen himself has now moved to a new job in education. His passion is unchanged: ‘You see increasing individualization in education. But classroom teaching continues to be important for children. It is all about group processes, about how to hold your own in society. That is what you learn at school, especially when your school has a central role in society, like the St. Nicolaaslyceum.’

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‘BUILDINGS ARE NOT THE KEY FEATURE OF AKZONOBEL. PEOPLE ARE’ In conversation with Piet Schalkwijk

At the time of his first contact with AkzoNobel, in the 1970s, Schalkwijk was teaching economics and chemistry, a very AkzoNobel-friendly combination of disciplines. Schalkwijk: ‘They wanted people who could look beyond specialized fields, who were able to combine the expertise of different disciplines. This was certainly true for the patent department, which is where I started my career.’

Until well into the 1980s AkzoNobel was a broad conglomerate, active in fields ranging from fibers to pharmaceuticals, coatings, consumer products and chemicals. Schalkwijk: ‘Industry is susceptible to fluctuations. In those days the trend was to diversify, whereas nowadays companies tend to want to focus on a particular field.’

In the course of his long career he has seen many trends come and go, including the different organizational structures to match.

Schalkwijk: ‘For instance, at the moment there is far closer collaboration in a number of functional areas such as Human Resources, Finance and Information Management. The businesses used to do all thisthemselves, which resulted in fragmentation. Now it is all done in the same way for the entire company and in the process the corporate organization has moved closer to the business.’

The new office at the Zuidas can be seen in the light of these developments. This is where the leaders of the corporate organization and the AkzoNobel businesses domiciled in the Netherlands join forces.

AkzoNobel

Piet Schalkwijk has worked at AkzoNobel for over forty years.

As Director Special Projects he was closely involved in the building of the new AkzoNobel Center at the Zuidas. It is not, he stresses, a head office; it is the new headquarters of the businesses domiciled in the Netherlands and the corporate organization, including the Executive Committee. This ties in with the course the company is taking. Under the leadership of CEO Ton Büchner, AkzoNobel is developing into a less fragmented company where collaboration is a core value. Teamwork, craft and passion are the focus of Schalkwijk’s story as he talks about the new office.

Up to 2016 only corporate had its head office in Amsterdam.

Now they have been joined by the head offices from Amersfoort (Specialty Chemicals), Sassenheim (Performance Coatings) and Hoofddorp (Decorative Paints). This way the AkoNobel Center at the Zuidas brings different cultures together, encouraging collaboration.

Schalkwijk: ‘This approach has tremendous advantages. We are building a new culture together in this new office. The lines of communication are shorter now and it will be much easier to exchange information and benefit from each other’s experiences.’

‘We are building a new culture together in this new office’ In 2007, when AkzoNobel had just moved its head office to the Zuidas from Arnhem, the first plans for a new building were taking shape.

It had to be a building with an open and transparent character to match the AkzoNobel identity. The building designed by architects GROUP A for Sabic in Sittard met a lot of the requirements. Schalkwijk: ‘It’s a transparent and modern building that makes every visitor feel welcome. It has a certain class without being over the top, which is what we were looking for for our building.’

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‘A certain class without being over the top is what we were looking for for our building’ Talking about how the building came about, Schalkwijk identifies three recurring themes: teamwork, passion and craft. These are qualities he recognizes in GROUP A’s project architect, Folkert van Hagen: ‘He is someone who knows every aspect of his craft as an architect, he is passionate about his profession and he is a real team player who listens and with whom it is easy to collaborate.’ Schalkwijk stresses that this goes for the entire team working on the new building: from the people directly involved with the construction to the ICT people and the colleagues from branding, facilities, HR, the Art Foundation and many others.

AkzoNobel

The effective collaboration with Dura Vermeer played a key part in the overall process. After ING had withdrawn as the developer, Dura Vermeer took over responsibility for the new development.

Collaboration with this building firm was also based on shared values.

Schalkwijk: ‘The Dura Vermeer ethos is similar to that of AkzoNobel.

They too combine mastery of their craft with team spirit and passion for what they do: build buildings.’

For Schalkwijk the new building does not represent a goal as such. He sees the building as a catalyst for change processes: ‘Buildings are not the key feature of AkzoNobel. People are. This building will be a success if it ties in with the change agenda within AkzoNobel’.

He is now talking both about the businesses moving to Amsterdam and the introduction of Smart Working, a new flexible way of working. The new AkzoNobel Center is an open and transparent office which accommodates a new style of working with suitable areas for each type of activity – such as consultation, concentrated working, collaboration and telephone calls. The new building provides AkzoNobel with a flexible office that offers tranquility and perspective, high efficiency, sustainability and innovation and makes everyone feel welcome. Schalkwijk: ‘The new way of working is now being introduced at other AkzoNobel sites as well. This transformation goes to the heart of our company culture, it means there is less distance, that people collaborate more and that everybody will be able to benefit from other people’s knowledge – even more than is already the case.’

AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel

58 Aaldert ten Veen, Roy van Lieshout, Peter Krop and Roland Huitink

‘THE NEGOTIATIONS WERE FASCINATING, A BIT LIKE A RUGBY MATCH: HARD, BUT FAIR’ In conversation with Aaldert ten Veen, Roland Huitink, Peter Krop and Roy van Lieshout

Ten Veen started at Stibbe 25 years ago, back when the law firm still had its offices at the Rokin, right in the heart of Amsterdam.

Shortly afterwards, they moved to the present Stibbe tower at the Zuidas. Ten Veen: ‘We came from a building with narrow, winding corridors and a barrel organ playing in the background outside. The building was hard to get to and there was little or no parking space.

I remember the Sunday we moved very well. Everyone was walking around the new building proud as could be. It was a very special moment and I am happy that our organization will be going through that experience again.’ In addition to being a Stibbe partner, Ten Veen is an environmental legislation lawyer, specializing in zoning plans, construction permits and environmental permits. Dura Vermeer took care of the permits for the new building, but with Ten Veen looking over their shoulder and sharing his thoughts.

Peter Krop and Roy van Lieshout both work for Dura Vermeer. Krop has been with the firm since 2010. He was trained in business management and finished his degree with a thesis for Ahold USA. After the fall of the Berlin Wall he went to Berlin with a friend to work for a property developer there. After working in Berlin for six years and in Düsseldorf for another four, he returned to the Netherlands. He now manages Dura Vermeer’s construction and real estate side, Divisie Bouw en Vastgoed BV. His role in the projects for Stibbe and AkzoNobel mostly

AkzoNobel

The buildings for Stibbe and AkzoNobel have an unusual history.

The projects were transferred from ING Real Estate, the original developer, via the two future tenants to Dura Vermeer, with the German investors Union as final owner. This made for a very complicated process in contract terms. Aaldert ten Veen from Stibbe, AkzoNobel’s Roland Huitink and Dura Vermeer’s Peter Krop and Roy van Lieshout together look back on an eventful negotiating process with a satisfactory outcome. Peter Krop: ‘They were the most fascinating negotations I have ever taken part in.’

The initiative to build the two buildings goes back as far as 2006.

AkzoNobel was already on board by then, but another law firm was scheduled to move into the Stibbe building. ING Real Estate was to be the developer. However, because of the economic downturn the project had been halted.

Stibbe at that moment had an option to build on another site south of the ring road. In 2011 ING abruptly decided to get out of all new office development projects and only finish or transfer existing ones. Stibbe’s Housing Committee, chaired by construction and real estate specialist Joop Janssen, succeeded in acquiring the ING site with municipal approval. Ten Veen: ‘We would have had to wait ten to fifteen years to develop our site more to the south. Besides, the Beethovenstraat and the adjoining Beatrix Park made for a much more attractive location.

So this was an interesting opportunity for us. We therefore got into touch with architect Jo Coenen, who was able to adapt the design according to our wishes.’ Stibbe decided to use a competitive selection procedure to find a new combined developer and construction company, and to this end approached three solid family firms.

Ten Veen: ‘This made for a very intense process for the Housing Committee, as we were looking for a highly reliable party that could make us the best offer.’

Dura Vermeer stood out from the other two combined developer and construction companies with an innovative proposal that served to remove a number of major risks where Stibbe was concerned.

They were able to complete the design of the office building for a fixed

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involved the financial-economic side and risk management. Krop: ‘We embarked on a real estate project costing over one hundred and fifty million euros at the height of the crisis. It was a complex project in the contractual, legal and financial sense, but fascinating right from the start.’ Roy van Lieshout, who develops commercial real estate at Dura Vermeer, agrees wholeheartedly: ‘It was an intense and interesting project, on an unprecedented scale in terms of magnitude, contract negotiations, A-1 location and dynamics.’

Roland Huitink studied engineering management and process technology in Enschede. He joined AkzoNobel’s insurance department and after a few years was given the task of setting up the real estate department. AkzoNobel’s portfolio is made up of over two hundred production sites with in addition a lot of leased premises. He deals worldwide with the sale of production sites that have shut, office consolidation and the services organization in the AkzoNobel buildings.

Huitink: ‘Real estate is an interesting business. In the case of a footprint developed over time, you have the opportunity to save costs and update at the same time.’

price and build it in accordance with the Program of Requirements and the Model Contract. Dura Vermeer’s aim was not ownership of the building but to sell it on to investors. However, in the event of this not happening or being delayed, they would keep the building on their own balance sheet. This effectively took away the sales risk for Stibbe.

If the building was sold, Dura Vermeer would finance about 75 percent of the completion and installation costs. Krop: ‘Dura Vermeer sees itself as its clients’ partner because of its ability to do away with risks as they wish. Of course, this means market prices in terms of actual construction. It is an approach that suits large companies in particular.’

Next followed an intense nine months of negotiations to come to an agreement. Krop: ‘They were the most fascinating negotiations I ever took part in. Stibbe’s expertise led to a judicialization which made every word and every sentence count. Still, we knew all issues would be resolved, though on occasion meetings lasted till six a.m.’ The forty Stibbe partners meanwhile were watching in the background.

Their view was: construction is not our core business; we do not want to take any risks. We are just the tenants.’ Ten Veen: ‘Because we were sitting there as lawyers, things became more complex with worst case scenarios and resolving everything down to the minutest detail.

With hindsight I feel that we could have been a bit more relaxed in some instances.’

The AkzoNobel situation was quite different. Their building had already been designed and a rental agreement with ING was in place.

Huitink: ‘When ING pulled out, a discussion started: are we looking for a developer or a contractor? We knew the price of the land, the cost of the building and the rents currently charged at the Zuidas.

You could say, that was pretty much the whole package.’ Once Stibbe had decided to go with Dura Vermeer, AkzoNobel soon decided to join them. Not only was Dura Vermeer reliable, the synergy of two buildings and a parking garage on one site would be advantageous for them.

For one thing, it would prevent different parties trying to blame each other if any problems arose.

So negotiations between Dura Vermeer and AkzoNobel started. Krop: ‘In outline it was very clear what AkzoNobel wanted, but there were a few tricky issues to be resolved, such as a 10KV transformer substation that was in the way, trees that had to be cut down, wind tunnel tests

AkzoNobel

'We were looking for a highly reliable party that could make us the best offer'

‘It was convenient to have our own engineers at the table’ As it turned out, all parties’ interests were served and everyone is very happy with the result. For Dura Vermeer it was very special to build two buildings and a parking garage on a single site, working with two very different parties. Krop: ‘Stibbe is truly a legal party, incredibly good in file management and in keeping track of and recording arrangements. With AkzoNobel the interesting thing was that they had all sorts of in-house technical expertise and could contribute their thoughts on technical issues.’

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and so forth.’ Also, design adjustments were needed for the parking garage, which did not fit properly underneath the two buildings.

Furthermore, Dura Vermeer had to reach agreement with ING about taking over the actual development position. Because all of this happened under pressure of time, feelings sometimes ran high during the negotiations.

Krop: ‘We made a deal with AkzoNobel on condition that optimizations could be implemented: changes in construction which would be cost saving yet not impact on the technical and aesthetic quality.

This was essential for us and we were able to start building in full confidence that AkzoNobel would collaborate.’ In the end, many of the optimizations were worked out in collaboration with engineers from AkzoNobel, in a practical, efficient and target-oriented atmosphere. Huitink: ‘It was convenient to have our own engineers at the table in the process. Harry Wolbrink for instance made a great contribution to the realization of our building.’

Stibbe and AkzoNobel worked independently when it came to drawing up the contract. They did collaborate on shared facilities such as the thermal storage facility to heat and cool both buildings. In view of the specific technical expertise within its company, AkzoNobel took on the technical side of this, while Stibbe handled the legal aspects.

Because Dura Vermeer still had to work out the technical specifications of the Stibbe building, there were further negotiations about various details after the contract had been concluded.

Ten Veen: ‘This was the most unpleasant phase with delays, clashes of opinion and the failure at times to listen properly to one another.’

Discussions arose over the interpretation of the program of requirements, which could be spirited. Krop: ‘People had fights, but no one cheated. In the end, everybody kept it sensible and real.’

The contract of sale for the AkzoNobel building was signed with investor Union in March 2013, followed by the contract for the Stibbe building on December 31, 2013. This meant that Dura Vermeer was building on land owned by Union, that Union was paying for the construction and owned the leases of both parties. Dura Vermeer therefore did not have to include the projects in its own balance sheet.

All those involved look back satisfied on an intensive process that had its tense moments. Van Lieshout: ‘When we were that close to an agreement with Stibbe based on our guarantees, there was a discussion about force majeure, the proverbial “act of god” which might make it impossible to build. Stibbe’s position on this was very clear: when you guarantee you will build, this includes building in the event of an act of god. That was a very useful lesson for us.’

Huitink: ‘I have a great deal of admiration for the methodical way in which Dura Vermeer operates, especially when it comes to an assignment as complicated as this one. When the manufacturer of the façade went bankrupt, they did a terrific job by going into business with a large number of the subcontractors involved and solving the problem in that way.’

Ten Veen: ‘The negotiations were fascinating, a bit like a rugby match: hard, but fair.’ Krop: ‘I agree. It was a great project involving special people with whom we shared a lot of laughs as well.’

AkzoNobel

'When you guarantee you will build, this includes building in the event of an act of god'

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AkzoNobel

68 Cees Vreeburg, Bert Corneth and Bent MĂźhlena

‘THESE ARE HIGH-QUALITY, PREMIUM BUILDINGS WHICH OFFER FAR MORE THAN INVESTOR ARCHITECTURE’ In conversation with Cees Vreeburg, Bert Corneth and Bent Mühlena

Cees Vreeburg has wide-ranging experience in construction and real estate. Before joining Dura Vermeer (then just Dura) in 1994, he worked for a firm of architects for five years and for a constructor for another five. At Dura Vermeer he started as a work planner, working his way up over the years to his current position as project manager for the Construction and Real Estate division. Vreeburg: ‘My job is to focus on the technical aspects of contracts, the specs of what we sell.

Everything needs to fit into place. The design has to be solid and the builders, clients and advisors have to collaborate to create an overall concept.’

Bent Mühlena started out as an architect, but soon made the switch to project development. After working for a developer in Hamburg, he joined DIFA, an investment company with its own project development division. In Berlin he was responsible for the Dom Aquaree project, a large-scale commercial center close to the Dom cathedral and the Museum Island. Eventually, he went to work for Union, where he has been dealing with international real estate investments.

As of late 2013, Mühlena heads Union’s real estate management

AkzoNobel

The German investment company Union Investment is the owner of the Stibbe and AkzoNobel buildings at the Zuidas. The acquisition was preceded by an intensive process during which Union as investor and Dura Vermeer as builder sought to match their wishes and requirements, with the main focus on technical quality, sustainability and durability for the future. Dura Vermeer’s Cees Vreeburg, Union’s Bent Mühlena and Bert Corneth from the CVO Group, who advised Union on the acquisition and followed the design and construction process of the two buildings for Union, discuss the steps they took to reach agreement. Corneth: ‘It’s about building bridges and coming together. It’s about human interaction. In this process we really inspired each other to reach new heights.’

‘In this process we really inspired each other to reach new heights’ Union has been active at the Zuidas for some time. Situated attractively between the Amsterdam city center and Schiphol Airport, the Zuidas with its commercial office property is favored as an investment market. Union previously acquired the Crowne Plaza Hotel, the UN Studio office building, the SOM building and the ITO tower.

The Stibbe and AkzoNobel development projects form Union’s last Zuidas investment for now.

In both cases, the process started with what is known as a ‘letter of intent’ with matching ‘exclusivity period’ to grant both parties

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department. Mühlena: ‘Union is active as an investor on several fronts.

My department deals with real estate. We have a team of technical advisors working on acquisitions, with the due diligence process as an essential first step. Here we look into issues such as technical quality, sustainability and durability for the future.’

Consultancy firm CVO provides support for these types of processes.

Its managing director, Bert Corneth, was trained as a structural engineer. For years he worked in an advisory capacity, including on major development projects by the Government Buildings Agency. In 1995 Corneth set up his consultancy firm CVO, which specializes in the international real estate investment market. Corneth: ‘The challenge is to keep a process under control without too much interference.

For this you need to define the right performance specifications in the technical, implementation and strategy fields and then monitor the entire process step by step.’

CVO grew steadily, building a solid reputation and clientele in the top segment of the international real estate world in the process. In the pre-crisis investment climate, when there was a lot of money around and the market was geared to high risks and high profits, CVO was striving for quality and sustainable results for its clients. The crisis had a dramatic impact on this world and many of its players went under.

Corneth: ‘It is interesting to note that Union already had a risk-averse and safe operation before the crisis. They continued in this way when times were lean and are still doing so now. That is why they still have a leading position in the market and continue to have the confidence of their clients, the investors. CVO’s contribution to this is a critical inspection and analysis of real estate projects. That way we can protect Union from potential mistakes.’

the opportunity to do more research. Corneth: ‘And then the troops arrive. This involves a serious investment by both parties where advisors are called in to examine all relevant aspects and reach agreement.’

In the first instance, the discussions dealt only with the building for AkzoNobel, a project which had already reached an advanced stage when negotiations started in 2012. Over a period of three to four months people worked intensively on all the preparations. Vreeburg: ‘Both sides had high levels of technical expertise. It was important for Dura Vermeer to meet Union’s standard. We did have different views on how the desired quality was to be achieved, but we discussed this openly and in good faith.’

Mühlena: ‘Union has a large technical department, so we speak the same language. We carried out our own analyses and presented these to Dura Vermeer – not so much as the outcome of our tests, but as a means to build bridges and resolve discrepancies.’ For Dura Vermeer it was important to be able to make a profit on its own investment by implementing optimizations which would result in cost savings yet not affect quality. The negotiations with Union were primarily about this sort of ‘value engineering’ in terms of architectural quality, engineering and sustainability.

In due course the Stibbe building also emerged as an interesting investment. Key positives once again were the site in the Beethoven cluster at the Zuidas, the high architectural quality and the rental agreement with a solid, solvent tenant. Both buildings have essentially been tailored to meet their tenants’ needs – an important quality for Union, because a satisfied tenant is a key part of successful real estate investment. Even so, it was important that the buildings should also be suitable for housing other tenants in the future or for multi-tenant occupancy. This meant negotiations about the facilities required.

It was found in the due diligence process that people could have mutually conflicting requirements. For instance, the high rents in an area like the Zuidas make it advisable to have a high-rate occupancy of the buildings. Because people and computers generate heat, the buildings therefore have to be equipped to cope with a high heat load. Since the 1990s there has been a lot of progress in this respect. However, a significant drawback is that the extensive cooling

AkzoNobel

‘A satisfied tenant is a key part of successful real estate investment’

equipment required negates the sustainability and energy efficiency aspects.

Vreeburg: ‘We had to find the optimum solution for this. In the end, we raised the bar for both buildings in terms of user numbers, but in such a way that we could have limited heat load equipment. This way, everything stayed within the envisaged sustainability standards.

The Stibbe and AkzoNobel buildings by now have both been awarded the BREEAM Excellent certificate, putting them in the top market segment.’

Architectural quality was another important factor for Union. Mühlena: ‘The buildings for Stibbe and AkzoNobel are high-quality, premium buildings which offer far more than “investor architecture”.’ The main quality of the Stibbe building is its monumental atrium, while the AkzoNobel one stands out first and foremost because of its elegant, rounded contours and light interiors. Corneth: ‘The double façades of this building were a real challenge during the negotiations, given that they had to combine transparency with noise protection and climate control, an experimental solution which originally existed only in the architect’s head. We had our doubts, not least because wood would also be incorporated in the façades, but Dura Vermeer convinced us and guaranteed that they would make those façades work. That is why we said yes in the end.’

The parties concerned can look back on a successful process in which they inspired each other to reach ever greater heights. Vreeburg: ‘As the process went on, so confidence and understanding grew.

The parties really brought out the best of themselves.’

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‘As the process went on, so confidence and understanding grew’

AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel

78 Frans de Zwart and Cor Broekhuizen

‘IT DOESN’T HELP IF EVERYONE IS BUSY TRYING TO PROTECT THEIR OWN INTERESTS’ In conversation with Frans de Zwart and Cor Broekhuizen

De Zwart studied civil engineering at Delft University of Technology and then worked for a number of engineering firms. He was a partner at Corsmit (now Royal Haskoning DHV) for a while, but in the end decided to focus fully on his job as a structural designer within the company.

De Zwart also sits on the Arbitration Board for the Building Industry.

Using his wide-ranging experience, he advises in disputes about issues such as completion, types of contracts, construction failures and financing for various building projects. This is how you learn to put things into perspective, De Zwart explains: ‘Construction means a group of people all striving to produce the best possible result.

However, people are human and make mistakes. You can get very upset about this or you can work on resolving the problem. Sometimes parties will still have steam coming out of their ears at the start of such an arbitration session, but by the end they will be happy to reach a compromise and shake hands.’

Broekhuizen is from a real family of builders; his father, brother and uncles all work in construction. After studying structural engineering he had a brief stint at a firm of architects before joining Dura Vermeer, where he has now been for two decades: first as planning engineer and work organizer, then as project leader and manager. He has been part of the management team since August 2016, and in January 2016, joined the board of management of Hengelo. Broekhuizen: ‘I feel at home at Dura Vermeer, a social family business with a strong work ethic.’

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Something remarkable has been achieved in the Beethoven sector.

On a modest-sized building site three complex projects have been realized simultaneously: an underground parking garage and two office buildings of different design and construction. Dura Vermeer and Royal Haskoning DHV were involved in it all from the start.

Cor Broekhuizen (Project Director at Dura Vermeer) and Frans de Zwart (Structural Consultant) at Royal Haskoning DHV talk about their collaboration. De Zwart: ‘You should always be open and direct when collaborating.’

De Zwart and Broekhuizen see similarities in terms of mindset and approach. Neither company is listed on the stock exchange and so does not have to deal with shareholders and their interest in profits.

Everyone’s focus is on quality, with both Dura Vermeer and Royal Haskoning DHV concentrating on very diverse projects in architecture and infrastructure, as well as in the area of water and the environment.

De Zwart: ‘It’s a very straightforward division of roles: Royal Haskoning is responsible for the structural design and Dura Vermeer does the building. In such cases it helps to have a close relationship and to look at each other’s work and contribute ideas. You always get better outcomes that way.’ Broekhuizen: ‘And it’s best to start talking to each other as soon as possible.’

Several years ago as the project was getting underway, ING Real Estate was still the developer for the two office buildings with underground parking. AkzoNobel was already on board as a tenant at that time, but the Jo Coenen Architects & Urbanists building was supposed to go to another party. When it withdrew, Stibbe took its place, which required adjustments to be made to the design of the building. De Zwart used the opportunity to make a radical proposal in construction terms: ‘The design had been on the shelf for eighteen months by then and that gives you time to reflect. Originally the building was supposed to have a concrete core incorporating the elevator shafts and stairwells.

It seemed a good idea to me to replace this closed-off core with a steel spine which would open the building up in the center and give greater flexibility in terms of layout. Both Jo Coenen Architects & Urbanists and Stibbe proved receptive to this idea. The architect took it on board straightaway and we were able to make this change in excellent collaboration.’

After Stibbe and AkzoNobel had dealt with project development themselves temporarily, Dura Vermeer took over as developer and builder. For Dura Vermeer it was essential to have another careful look at the structural design of the projects and look for opportunities for optimization. Smart design solutions would make it possible to save costs while, needless to say, the quality and appearance of the design had to be retained or even reinforced. De Zwart: ‘It is important to be open to these types of changes. It’s a process where the builder comes

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‘It’s best to start talking to each other as soon as possible’

up with ideas and we contribute ideas as well. The result is a better product for all parties: a more attractive building at a better price.’

One important optimization concerned the section connecting the floors in the AkzoNobel building with the double façade. In the first instance this was designed as a composite component partly made of concrete and partly made of steel. Dura Vermeer, however, believed that it was possible to prefabricate the entire section in concrete.

While this did not mean significant savings in terms of production costs, it did offer advantages as a result of the more consistent quality of the section, fewer actions on the building site and a purer result in architectural terms. Broekhuizen: ‘Ideal conditions lead to optimal quality. That’s why I’m in favor of prefab.’ A similar optimization took place in the Stibbe building. Here prefab also resulted in a simplified façade component, and in this case one concrete mold could even be used to make two components. Both optimizations were the result of an intensive collaboration with the concrete manufacturer Geelen Beton.

A complicated structural challenge was presented by the underground parking garage and the way in which the loadbearing structures of the two buildings would connect to the structure of the parking garage.

Because the circular contours of the buildings do not match the grid of the parking garage, unusual, heavy transfer structures were required.

Broekhuizen: ‘In the event it turned out that more reinforcement was required for the concrete parking garage structure than Royal Haskoning had stated. At that moment you start to make phonecalls, talk to people and convene meetings to resolve the issue. All this was done in a positive atmosphere without accusations being levied and this led to the right outcome.’

Dura Vermeer acting as developing builder on this project proved a major advantage. After all, it meant that the differences of opinion between developer and builder that complicate many building projects did not arise. Also, De Zwart and Broekhuizen are enthusiastic about the collaboration between Dura Vermeer and Royal Haskoning DHV and the way in which they managed to combine their know-how and

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‘The result is a better product for all parties: a more attractive building at a better price’

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expertise in this project. Broekhuizen: ‘It was a challenging project requiring a lot in financial and structural terms. In such cases it does not help if everyone is busy protecting their own interests.’ De Zwart: ‘Once again it was made clear how important it is to be open and direct at all times when you are collaborating.’

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AkzoNobel

86 Kees Vos and Steven Aalders

‘YOU CAN ONLY EVOKE EMOTIONS IF YOU PROCEED IN A RATIONAL FASHION’ In conversation with Steven Aalders and Kees Vos

Aalders’ work is characterized by a simple imagery of lines and surfaces in spectral colors. Aalders: ‘I work in the tradition of Mondrian, with minimalist influences. I made a conscious decision to restrict my idiom. Paradoxically, this gives you enormous freedom.

The field in which you work has been delimited, there is no need for you to give that any further thought.’

Aalders usually paints in oil on canvas, but he has made the occasional three-dimensional work before. It started with a commission to decorate the hallway of collectors living on Amsterdam’s Herengracht.

Aalders: ‘I found I have an interest in working in three dimensions.

Physical space is mental space as well. You enter it and it does something to your mind.’

But while Aalders had previously decorated walls and partitions, at the Zuidas he had to deal with something altogether different: the entrance to the communal parking garage. It has an asymmetric polyester roof with rounded corners, produced by Fox Industries.

Vos: ‘My father started the company in 1968. We have been working with glass fiber reinforced polyester from day one. It is an extremely versatile material. It is smelly, sticky, dusty, but also cutting-edge and very strong.’

Vos: ‘But our orders are hardly ever just about polyester. To give you an example, we don’t just build the roof of the horse trailer, we build the entire trailer. We don’t just build the ice cream stand, we also install the cooling equipment. In other words, we are used to

AkzoNobel

Artist Steven Aalders is the creator of a work of applied art for the Beethoven sector, namely the decoration of the entrance pavilion for the parking garage designed by Group A. In bringing his design to life, Aalders worked with Kees Vos of Fox Industries, a family firm from Dedemsvaart specializing in polyester structures – from slides to dashboards. They look back on a successful collaboration, which for each of them derived from the love they have for their profession.

contributing ideas and coming up with specific solutions to questions.’

After the economic crisis this approach has increasingly become Fox Industries’ signature. Even so, this was the first time they were working with an artist.

The idea of inviting Steven Aalders to create a work of art for the Beethoven sector originated with the Director of the AkzoNobel Art Foundation, Hester Alberdingk Thijm. The collection includes seven paintings by Aalders. The plans were then submitted to the Zuidas Committee, which immediately expressed its enthusiasm about the combination of site, pavilion and artist.

The entrance pavilion is especially striking because of its asymmetric contours and design with rounded corners. These are characteristics also reflected in the Stibbe and AkzoNobel buildings. Aalders: ‘I find it interesting how these buildings combine asymmetric, rounded contours with a strong internal grid. This combination is also reflected in the work I designed for this place. The pavilion has a futuristic shape, which I have covered with sleek paintwork.’

Aalders designed a grid of four compass roses, made up of twelve lines in spectral colors on a white ground. He selected the one right angle of the polyester roof as the starting point for their placement. Aalders: ‘I designed the work starting from the top. Of course the roof does not give you a straight canvas to work on.

I used the northeastern corner as a benchmark and “folded” the work around the roof as it were. This way the pattern moves with its base.’

The compass roses refer to orientation and history and at the same time the dotted lines give a hint of the highway.

At Fox Industries they were confident about the outcome straightaway.

Vos: ‘We were happy with this work and how the pattern plays out on the ground. Optical straightness would have required working with lasers. Now it’s all been done by hand and that’s what makes it attractive.’ In the preparatory phase Aalders painted his design on a model made by Group A, with instructions as to the precise dimensions and color scheme. Group A used this to make a 3D computer model for Fox Industries as a basis for the paintwork.

This involved first applying tape to make proper grids on the circular surfaces. After that it was time for the real thing – with all the painting done in RAL colors, industrial colors such as used in, say,

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‘Physical space is mental space as well’

‘It all has to be correct to the one hundredth of a millimeter’ The whole trajectory also involved good collaboration with the municipal landscape gardeners responsible for the layout of the area.

They have planned a field with grass and flowers with the pavilion as a landmark in the center.

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the automotive industry. Aalders: ‘I thought those would be a good match for the parking garage function.’ The process of applying shape and color was supervised by Aalders in a number of visits to Dedemsvaart, the home of Fox Industries.

Aalders and Vos were both very driven to produce precise work.

Aalders: ‘To me, it is important to have a clinical and pragmatic attitude. You can only evoke emotions and feelings if you proceed in a rational and crafty fashion.’ Vos: ‘We always work very precisely, it’s part of our how we do things. It all has to be correct to the one hundredth of a millimeter. There is no way we will be using a rule.’

For Fox Industries the engineering of the pavilion proved an interesting challenge, not only because of the shape but also on account of the preconditions. The structure had to be able to withstand snow, there had to be a way of cleaning it and if someone decided to climb on top of it, it had to cope with that too. The decision was to use a sandwich structure: steel, filled with tempex, covered with wood and with a polyester skin. The corners were made of polyurethane foam.

Vos: ‘Installing it on the concrete foundation was quite exciting. We had a clearance of just 0.4 centimeter in all.’ For Aalders it was an equally exciting moment. After all, he could not assess whether the dimensions as painted were correct and whether the work did in fact have the envisaged effect until the decorated pavilion was in place.

Aalders: ‘It’s a bit like paintings that you hang in an exhibition, they also enter into a relationship. This work is a white cloud in business surroundings with architectural details. It works very well: it stands apart from its surroundings yet at the same time it joins together.’

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AkzoNobel

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96 Arend Baan and Frank Deltrap

‘IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ALL THE PARTIES INVOLVED, THE SUBCONTRACTORS AND THE SUPPLIERS, TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT WHAT THEY’RE MAKING’ In conversation with Arend Baan and Frank Deltrap

After graduating from intermediate technical school, Arend Baan started out as work scheduler for a small-sized firm of contractors.

Mostly he worked on residential projects built with highly standardized methods. To Baan this was not sufficiently challenging, so he moved to Dura Vermeer in 1999. Here he began with work scheduling for utility work. Work schedulers are responsible for all the materials on site, from piles to window frames. They decide on quantities, ask for quotations and do part of the purchasing. They also fine-tune things with the structural engineers and are responsible for the entire preparation trajectory with the suppliers. At Dura Vermeer Baan was able to do his work scheduling on site: ‘I have a lot of affinity with execution. When you’re on a construction site you see it all happening, so you understand straightaway and are able to switch quickly. Often you also do other things as well, such as make forecasts. All that makes the job diversified and keeps it interesting.’

In the course of his career, Baan went from being a work scheduler to what Dura Vermeer officially calls a consultant but is more commonly known in the workplace as a work scheduling manager.

Baan: ‘We started on this project in the fall of 2012. I looked after

AkzoNobel

Arend Baan and Frank Deltrap were close collaborators on the AkzoNobel Center. Baan was work scheduling manager at Dura Vermeer for this project. When building work was in full swing, he managed a group of ten people busy checking the drawings and placing orders for the materials needed. Frank Deltrap is an architect at Group A, where he dealt with the trajectory from specifications to execution. This involved drawing work and a lot of consultation with advisors and the contractor. Deltrap: ‘It gets exciting when you see the building’s identity emerging.’

the preparations for both buildings, not only the AkzoNobel Center but also the Stibbe office. This makes it the largest project in my career.’

Frank Deltrap started out studying civil engineering at Delft University of Technology. When he switched to structural engineering at Technical College, he met Adam Visser and Folkert van Hagen, two of the founders of the architectural firm Group A, which he was to work for many years later. After graduating he spent the next fifteen years at Benthem Crouwel Architects, where in addition to his regular job he completed the Academy of Architecture’s architecture course.

During that period he worked on various RAI projects, on office buildings, metro stations for the Noord/Zuid line and several train stations, including Delft and Amsterdam CS. Deltrap: ‘My technical background had me dealing primarily with the later stages, the trajectory from preliminary and final checks to implementation. This meant I was walking around on site to check things and solve problems.’

After leaving Benthem Crouwel in 2012, Deltrap soon joined Group A. They were looking for someone with the technical expertise, knowhow and experience to handle this project. Before long Deltrap was project manager for the AkzoNobel Center as well.

When Arend Baan started to work on the project in 2012, Dura Vermeer had just taken over development from Stibbe and AkzoNobel who, in their turn, had taken over from ING. Due to the financial crisis the situation had changed significantly over that time and the design Dura Vermeer was given proved too expensive to build. Optimizations were clearly required. Baan: ‘Optimizations are changes which make the design smarter and cheaper without compromising on aesthetics, quality and maintenance costs. The aim is not to build cheaply and then burden the owners and users with high maintenance costs.’

Thus the company responsible for the façade advised about various optimizations which would leave the overall appearance of the façade intact. Dura Vermeer developed a subsequent series of optimizations of its own, all assessed by Group A in the person of Frank Deltrap.

One example had to do with the edges of the floors. In the original design the outside edges of the floors as mounted behind the transparent façade were made of flanged steel plates and concrete.

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‘It gets exciting when you see the building’s identity emerging’

Opting for a prefabricated concrete section instead of the steel plate from the original design resulted in a structural simplification. It was a solution which was not really cost-saving as such, but it did eliminate planning risks. Baan: ‘This choice meant fewer risks of dimensional variation. Fewer suppliers were involved and everything could be done more easily and more quickly.’

The many different methods and materials used made the construction of the façade of the AkzoNobel building in particular an interesting challenge. Frank Deltrap explains about the complexity of the design: ‘We have a hanging façade which actually hangs from the top of the building instead of from each of the floors. It is a thermal shell of which the construction at the plinth is different from that at the top of the building because of the differences in floor heights. Also, there are different color shades for each floor and components which will have a different color depending on their position in the building.’

Baan adds further details: ‘The façade also has transparent as well as semi-transparent sections. The whole design focuses on the visual aspect, complete with, say, the window cleaning equipment.

Everything is complicated still further by the building’s rounded contours and angled lines.

The construction of the AkzoNobel Center was carried out following LEAN principles. This made for an efficient trajectory with optimum collaboration among all parties, such as builders, suppliers and producers. Organizing a plenary meeting with all the parties involved resulted in very effective planning. Baan: ‘On that day our meeting room was completely full. We had put empty planning sheets on the walls and each party used stickers to indicate which days they would need to do their work. This formed the basis for optimum planning and the best possible process.’ Deltrap agrees that the involvement of all partners in the entire building project was crucial: ‘It is important that all parties involved take a close look at what they are making.

That way you get the best process and optimum results.’

Arend Baan worked on site in the portacabin. This gave him an overview and allowed him to monitor the situation. Especially on a cramped building site such as the one for AkzoNobel and Stibbe, it was vital to

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‘My immediate impression was of a building with style that would be a real asset for the Zuidas’

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have sound logistical arrangements in place in the preparatory phase.

Baan: ‘Clearly, there was no way we could accommodate three trucks which all had to be unloaded at the same time.’

Baan and Deltrap are enthusiastic about the results. The atrium in particular with its view of the A10 is considered a success, but also the spiral staircase on the ground floor, which was installed as the shell was built. The façade has a finely layered structure: at times diffuse, sometimes so transparent that sunlight illuminates the building, and then again closed up in other places.

Baan: ‘It was a complex project, but my immediate impression was of a building with style that would be a real asset for the Zuidas.

The diverse range of materials and techniques used is precisely `what makes it so wonderful.’

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‘BUILDING IS A BIT LIKE RAISING A CHILD’ In conversation with Bram Dieke

Dieke started his career at Jurriëns Bouw, went to Slavenburgs Bouwbedrijf and then to Hochtief, where he helped build the nuclear reactor for Kalkar in Germany, and then from Hurks Bouwbedrijf in Amsterdam to Dura Vermeer. Here he has worked since 1985 (with a brief interruption) as head of operations – or, in the current terminology, construction Site Manager. Dieke monitors everything that happens on the site. In his view, this is first and foremost people management, making sure the right people are in the right place and that they can all do their job properly. Given the logistics of a construction site, this is not as easy as it sounds. Dieke explains: ‘In this job you have to be able to put things into perspective and not let them get to you. Just stay who you are and do your job.’

These are handy qualities in such a complex project. Of all the projects Dieke has been in charge of, this is definitely one of his biggest challenges: the construction of two very different office buildings on a very modest-sized construction site. The AkzoNobel building has a concrete structure for stability while the Stibbe building has a steel one, and the two stand on an underground parking garage with yet another support structure.

Dieke gets to the site early each morning. The first people arrive at 05:15 hours, while he is usually there by six. Dieke starts with an

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In 2015 Bram Dieke turned 65, a remarkable age for someone who can still be found on site every day. He is eager to talk about his experiences at the Zuidas. The buildings for Stibbe and AkzoNobel to him represent an unexpected final achievement in a rich career.

Dieke: ‘My boss asked me to step into his office. I thought to myself, I’m 63 now, he’s probably going to tell me it’s time to retire. But instead he showed me a film with artists’ impressions of the buildings for Stibbe and AkzoNobel and asked me whether I wanted to take charge of this project.’ For Dieke the Zuidas project represents a wonderful challenge. Together with Arend Baan, head of preparations, and Cor Broekhuizen, the project manager, he forms a strong triumvirate to deal with this complex, double assignment.

informal meeting with the two project managers. Next, there is a daily meeting with the foremen of all the companies working on the site. In a thirty-minute meeting such issues as progress, safety, quality of the work and mutual respect (for instance when it comes to delivering on agreements) are discussed. Dieke: ‘We have a magnetic board with smileys as a practical tool: a green smiley means things are going well, a yellow one that extra attention is required and a red one means that something is wrong.’ This is following the principles of LEAN construction. While Dieke was somewhat sceptical at the outset, he has since become an enthusiastic supporter of LEAN.

Dieke: ‘The way we are here on the construction site, you could say we are a small contractor. We have people here to prepare the work, the work organization, the administration and the executiuon – some twenty people in all including trainees. Carin van Koldenhoven, who deals with procurement, is my mainstay in all this. She started out as a trainee and we have been working together for thirty years now. have also become friends in that time.’

A lot of Dieke’s work is consultation, often with external parties.

In that respect working at the Zuidas differs from working on other sites. The Zuidas is a built-up area where a lot of parties are active.

This means a lot of rules and regulations and so a lot of consultation.

Dieke explains the situation: ‘It is very easy to fill your day here with external consultation, about the Noord/Zuid metro line, the Zuidas, the coordination of the Beethoven sector. So you have to take a pragmatic approach, otherwise you will never get round to doing your actual job on the site.’

For Dieke it is a challenge as well as an honor to have the supervision for both buildings. Dieke: ‘I grew up in a culture of no-frills, straightforward architecture. These buildings are something else entirely.

That’s why it’s so special to work on them.’ In the Stibbe building the atrium forms a backbone stretching from the ground floor up to the eighth floor. The freestanding steel structure was built first, large and imposing and requiring extra heavy cranes. The floors were then attached to said steel structure. Dieke: ‘The transitional structure to

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‘In this job you have to be able to put things into perspective and not let them get to you’

the parking garage underneath, with heavy concrete beams, was quite a challenge in construction terms.’

The AkzoNobel building is notable for its two atriums and a suspended auditorium. Dieke: ‘The design specialists really pulled out all the stops there. For in suspending the floors the steel structure had to be put under load before the floors could be attached.’ Nor were the shapes of the concrete floors standard. They have a special, organic shape where the curved sections were poured on site. Dieke: ‘It used to be that everything was poured: columns, beams and slabs. As a result, construction was quite a bit slower. Where in the 1980s it took twenty days to build a floor, it now takes twelve. Just about everything is prefabricated now, but special shapes such as these are still poured on site.’

Dieke has not built a single house with a tiled roof in his entire career. Nor has he wanted to. Industrial architecture provides all kinds of challenges in the field of climate control, environmentally aware construction, finishing and the use of special materials such as stone and stainless steel. The Zuidas project is a prime example: two complex buildings with a high finish on a very small construction site.

Dieke: ‘It is all about logistics. Planning is very tight. There is a planning board with all the data for delivery and unloading with the crane. There are constant meetings with subcontractors to coordinate how long everything is going to take. Everything is down to details and if there is a delay somewhere, everything is affected.’

Dieke has seen a lot of changes in the planning field. Not so very long ago planning was done by hand on squared paper, but now it is all digital. Dieke keeps up to date with courses on network planning and organization. Says Dieke: ‘I realize that some people my age have been left behind. But if you want to keep working and provide input, it is important to keep abreast of developments. You can also learn from other people. Here on the site they call me “nestor”, but that never stops me from asking questions, for instance about software.’

A good team is everything. Dieke: ‘They are all my boys. I can’t do anything without them. They are the ones who do the work and they work really hard. Some of them commute to Amsterdam from our Hengelo-Steenwijk location every day.’ Those working on the construction site are an international group, including a lot of

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‘It is all about logistics.

Planning is very tight’

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Germans and men from Eastern Europe. Dieke: ‘You can tell that in the Netherlands fewer young people work in construction. There is not much interest among those in secondary school. That has been a problem for years. This is why a lot of construction workers come from abroad.’

Dieke still enjoys his job, but retirement no longer seems so strange.

In the autumn of 2014 he tripped in the shower of the hotel where he stays on weekdays, tearing both ankles, so that he was forced to spend a couple of months at home. Dieke: ‘You could say I had a bit of practice for my retirement, and that was okay. But I went back to work as soon as I could, on crutches to start with. I wanted to deliver this project. After all, building is a bit like raising a child. You start with nothing, you build and then it’s done. After that, you can look back with pride.’

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‘MY PICTURES ENABLE ME TO GIVE PEOPLE A REAL ANSWER WHEN THEY ASK WHAT MY WORK IS LIKE’ In conversation with Erik Bouw

In addition to a small crane, the Beethoven section construction site had two large ones of 65 and 85 meters high. Erik Bouw has operated both. In his words, ‘Every day we have a tight schedule with loads such as steel structures, prefab elements, scaffolding or glass having to be lifted from one place to the next at particular moments. Other times, I may be pouring concrete. In all cases I have the support of my crane hooker, my assistant on the ground. He attaches the lifting belts and gives me directions by walkie-talkie.’

It used to be the case that crane operators could only get to their cabin and down again by climbing up and down. In some cases this took so much time that operators tended to stay in their cabins all day. Nowadays the taller cranes generally have an elevator and so the operator has greater freedom of movement. Erik Bouw says the trip down takes him about three minutes. ‘I do this a couple of times a day usually, when I need to go to the bathroom or want to eat something.

Everything else I need is right there in my cabin.’

The central position in this small space is occupied by a seat with armrests with controls at the ends: on the left for swiveling and moving the loopcat, on the right for lifting and lowering. Erik Bouw: ‘These are so-called dead man’s controls, they only respond to the warmth of your hand. If you touch them by accident, for instance because you become unwell, nothing will happen.’

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After training in fine metal working, Erik Bouw switched to construction at the turn of the 21st century. At the time, Dura Vermeer had vacancies for crane operators. Erik Bouw explains: ‘I liked the idea of sitting in one of those big, powerful machines and having that panoramic view.’ As it happens, more and more people have been able to enjoy that view, because Erik Bouw is taking pictures from his vantage point at the top of the crane and putting them on Twitter and Instagram. ‘Provided I do it when things are quiet, it’s fine by my boss.’

Crane operators spend most of the day on their own. Some people have problems with this, but Erik Bouw does not mind: ‘I am in constant touch with the other crane operators and my crane hooker by walkie-talkie so things can be properly coordinated. Also, I like to make myself comfortable, I have a radio and my thermos of coffee.’

‘I am in constant touch with the other crane operators and my crane hooker by walkie-talkie’ The work Erik Bouw does is very precise and requires optimum concentration, but when the crane is still for a moment, there is time to relax and this is when he takes his pictures. ‘I started taking pictures more than ten years ago. Nowadays I use my phone, but back then I had an actual camera. My pictures enable me to give people a real answer when they ask what my work is like.’ Sunrise and sunset are Bouw’s favorite times to indulge his hobby and the results were so nice that his wife, who works in communications, suggested distributing them via social media: first on Instagram and now also on Twitter.

As @bouwkraan Erik Bouw now has some 500 followers.

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‘Provided I do it when things are quiet, it’s fine by my boss’ Bouw: ‘I’m sure I’m not the only crane operator whose pictures are out there. Just check out #crane or #towercrane, you can find pictures there taken from a crane at 216 meters high.’ The Zuidas was Erik Bouw’s most attractive building site so far. It’s a lively place with a lot of highrises and busy traffic. High up in his cabin he could see cruise ships making their way to the Amsterdam docks and on clear days Utrecht’s Dom Church and Rotterdam city center would come into view. Asked whether the term vertigo means anything to him, Erik Bouw replies in the affirmative: ‘I really hate having to use a ladder when I’m painting at home. Ladders can topple, but there is no risk of this crane doing so. That’s the difference.’

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AkzoNobel

118 Marten Booisma and Arnoud Verdoorn

‘THE AKZONOBEL CENTER HAS BECOME THE BEATING HEART OF OUR COMPANY’ In conversation with Marten Booisma and Arnoud Verdoorn

Verdoorn has been with AkzoNobel since 1988 and has held various positions over the years. In late 2012 he became involved in developments to do with the new building. Verdoorn: ‘At the time we were looking for ways to get the best possible use out of our new office at the Zuidas. Under the leadership of Piet Schalkwijk, Director Special Projects, we took a crucial step in that process when it was decided to look at AkzoNobel’s overall office footprint, at our organization everywhere in the Netherlands.’

All this took place against the backdrop of a major transformation within AkzoNobel, which over the years has developed from a financial holding with management from a distance into an active management holding. Booisma: ‘AkzoNobel has deliberately opted for a new course in which corporate and business go hand in hand. This creates a greater sense of unity within the company and a stronger connection to the products we manufacture and sell.’

In that context it was decided to consolidate the five AkzoNobel offices in the Netherlands into two: the office in Arnhem and the new AkzoNobel Center in Amsterdam. It meant closures in Amersfoort and Hoofddorp, and Sassenheim continuing as a site for production and Research & Development. Verdoorn: ‘In May 2013 we held large-scale meetings to inform staff about these plans. A key issue was no job losses. ’

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Marten Booisma and Arnoud Verdoorn both work in the field of Human Resources (HR) at AkzoNobel. Verdoorn is responsible for HR at one of the business units as well as for the Dutch country organization, while Booisma sits on the Executive Committee and has global responsibility for HR within the company. The two were closely involved in the process that led to the new building at the Zuidas.

They explain how the AkzoNobel Center marks the start of a new era in which corporate and business have become increasingly linked and departments work together more closely and efficiently. Booisma: ‘We are entering a new period with AkzoNobel, looking to the future.

All of this is reflected in the new building.’

For most of the management then working at the former head office in Amsterdam, there was to be no change of place of work. The people working in Hoofddorp would all move to Amsterdam. However, for the Amersfoort employees it meant being divided up between Arnhem and Amsterdam. The reorganization brought major changes for them.

Verdoorn: ‘So it was important to explain really clearly why these choices were made and, more particularly, what the benefits would be.

A transparent organization with two offices meant a lot of gains could be made in terms of efficiency, sustainability, customer relations and collaboration between different parts of the organization. This is what we believed and we also managed to convince the works council.’

‘This building is a symbol of the AkzoNobel values’

The new AkzoNobel Center in Amsterdam is home to the Executive Committee, the corporate organization and the management and business teams. Booisma: ‘The AkzoNobel Center has become the beating heart of the company where the corporate organization and the business teams have been brought together physically and where employees and relations will always find a warm welcome. The focus here is on sales, marketing and innovation.’

There have also been major changes on the office floors to comply with the principles of Smart Working. Smart Working ensures efficient use of floor space because facilities in the building are shared and people have the use of high-end technology. The AkzoNobel Center design includes areas for all sorts of activities, from work stations for high levels of concentration in front of a computer screen or on the phone to large and small meeting rooms to reception areas. The building offers surroundings where employees can meet easily for consultation. Besides, the use of, say, video-conferencing technology will also facilitate contact with other offices in the Netherlands and

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The starting point was a split which saw the global organization and business teams housed in Amsterdam and all of the support positions relocating to Arnhem. This way shared services, including activities in the context of Global Business Services, the financial departments and HR and ICT, all get to work in one office in Arnhem and so can benefit from one another’s expertise and experience. It means a great opportunity to further standardize and harmonize all support processes and in so doing strengthen AkzoNobel’s competitive position.

abroad. This is very advantageous in sustainability and efficiency terms, because less travel is required.

Two years prior to the move the process to get employees ready for this new way of working began. First there were presentations for large groups, followed by smaller and more intensive workshops about workplace etiquette and using the facilities, as well on issues such as new rules for content management.

The AkzoNobel Center also plays an exemplary role when it comes to the company’s global operations. The principles of Smart Working are being introduced in Arnhem as well. It is the start of a development where there will be constant assessment of what works well and where there is room for improvement: an exchange of best practices worldwide, with the main focus on chemistry in the workplace and contacts between people. Verdoorn: ‘The added value is in the chemistry of all the people meeting and collaborating here. It will accelerate decision-making and give the company a crucial boost.

It will make it possible to operate more quickly and effectively and remain truly competitive in an increasingly dynamic market.’

In 2015 AkzoNobel also came up with its new core principles on safety, integrity and sustainability with corresponding core values: customer focused, deliver on commitments, passion for excellence and winning together. Booisma: ‘These principles are reflected in this fantastic new office. But the real effect comes from all the people working here together. That’s where the dynamic comes from.’

Fitting in with all this is the public nature of the ground floor of the AkzoNobel Center. Here employees can meet up with each other or external relations, but the general public is equally welcome to have a coffee in the coffee corner or in the AkzoNobel Art Foundation’s exhibition area, where works from the company collection are on display in temporary exhibitions. This way AkzoNobel presents a transparent and hospitable face to the outside world and builds closer ties with the Zuidas community, where Stibbe, the St. Nicolaaslyceum and organizations such as the Friends of the Beatrix Park are good neighbors. Booisma: ‘This building is a symbol of the AkzoNobel values.’

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‘The real effect comes from all the people working here together’

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AkzoNobel

126 Fokko Kip and Peter de Haan

‘WE WANTED A BUILDING WHERE PEOPLE WOULD FEEL AT HOME STRAIGHTAWAY’ In conversation with Fokko Kip and Peter de Haan

After spending time as a corporate editor at the plant in Oss, Peter de Haan took over responsibility for internal communications within AkzoNobel at Corporate Communications. In that capacity he was closely involved in the changes in company policy which transpired around 2005. Under the chairmanship of then CEO Hans Wijers, parts of the company were divested and new companies acquired. As a result, AkzoNobel acquired a clearer profile with the focus on paint, coatings and chemistry activities, a major transformation. De Haan: ‘During this period headquarters moved from Arnhem to a temporary office at Amsterdam’s Zuidas. The whole identity of the company was taken in hand. We formulated new values and introduced a new house style to match the changed AkzoNobel profile.’

In 2012 De Haan became Site Manager and Director for the Arnhem and Amsterdam sites, with responsibility for such matters as housing, facilities management, safety, employee representation and internal and external communications. De Haan: ‘Change has always been key to my work at AkzoNobel. It was a key issue back when I was writing about AkzoNobel’s environmental measures as a corporate editor and it is still a key issue now in the plan for the new building.’

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Once upon a time, Fokko Kip seemed destined for a life on the high seas, but after attending naval college and a three-year stint in the Dutch Navy, he decided on a different path. He studied technical engineering and joined AkzoNobel. His first years with the company’s technical services taught him a great deal about projects, and as project manager he now uses this expertise to organize all IT services in the new building. Peter de Haan studied communications and came to AkzoNobel as a writer and corporate editor in 1991. After a period as head of internal communications, he was appointed Site Manager for the Arnhem and Amsterdam sites. Both men are closely involved with the new building and the introduction of Smart Working.

Peter de Haan jokes: ‘We are a terrific team, just look at how well our names go together: we are chicken (Kip) and rooster (de Haan).’

In moving to the new AkzoNobel Center the company is also switching to a new way of working, commonly known as Smart Working. De Haan: ‘We felt that having a new building presented a logical opportunity to introduce a new way of working. Developments in ICT and technology proceed at a very rapid pace and we want to benefit from them. At the same time, we were looking for a more open and flexible way of working. Clearly, the time was ripe to do so.’

Fokko Kip became a member of the steering group for the new AkzoNobel Center in 2014 and in this capacity concentrated on the installation and management of all ICT services. Kip started his career at AkzoNobel’s technical services as manager for major maintenance, but wound up working in ICT. Here he stood out for being able to translate business into ICT processes. Kip: ‘I sat around a lot of tables with ICT advisors and business people and acted in a sort of liaison capacity.’

Such expertise is also very useful when introducing the new way of working within AkzoNobel, since it is closely linked to technical facilities and ICT. Kip: ‘ICT has a very substantial presence in this building because everything is interconnected. We are talking not only about hardware such as cables, networks, audiovisual technology, telephony and wireless technology, but also about software such as rolling out a new system as a basis for chatting and skyping.’ In the set-up all communication, such as meetings by telephone, will take place using computers and mobile phones, meaning that landlines are no longer required. All conference rooms have interactive whiteboards for use in meetings and consultations. These interactive boards enable participants all over the world to see and hear each other and work on the same document. It makes for a faster and more effective exchange of information, which is the aim of Smart Working. Kip: ‘For some people this is the most natural thing in the world. For others it takes some time to get used to it. In workshops about these new systems we explain about the underlying reasons, about why AkzoNobel is doing this and about the benefits it will bring the company.’

In the new building everything is geared to efficiency and comfort.

Thus conference rooms can be booked through a special web application. In addition, the rooms have a sensor which ensures that they re-enter the booking system if they are not in use within ten

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‘People are allowed no more than one meter of papers’

minutes from the set reservation time. Also, employees have an app to control the light, temperature and solar shading at their place of work and lockers can be opened with a badge. Smart Working moreover means a focus on content management. Kip: ‘People are allowed no more than one meter of papers. This means papers have been thrown out by the cabinet load. What needs to be kept is scanned and archived. Incidentally, this applies for all AkzoNobel sites in the Netherlands.’

The steering group for the new building has been able to make its views known about every detail: from the entrance to the building to the furniture in the lobby and the parking garage. De Haan: ‘This range of subjects is what makes it so interesting. To give you an example, the number of parking spaces is very limited. So we start talking to people to bring about a cultural change that will have them opt to use public transport. In addition, a lot of attention is paid to safety: how do people travel to work, how do they get to the building, how do they make the safest possible use of the building?’

Both Peter de Haan and Fokko Kip are enthusiastic about the uniformity of the building’s exterior and interior. It derives from the decision to have the architectural firm Group A design the building’s interior as well. Kip: ‘I thought it was a very attractive building from the start. It’s not a solid object, the light penetrates deep into the building and the furnishings reflect this.’ De Haan: ‘We wanted a building where people would feel at home straightaway. That is also why it is called the AkzoNobel Center. Besides, it was important to us to express our own identity. We succeeded in doing so by using a lot of color, exhibiting works from the AkzoNobel Art Foundation collection on the ground floor and having large LED screens in the lobby which tell visitors about AkzoNobel.’ Near the reception desk twelve interconnected screens show presentations highlighting a range of AkzoNobel activities. There are large information screens and there is a screen showing energy consumption in the building. De Haan: ‘We are ranked number 1 in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and it is important to us to show that in this building we are very aware of energy consumption, water use and waste disposal.’

In the new building architecture, interior and technical services combine to support the new way of working. Fokko Kip: ‘People are

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‘We are ranked number 1 in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index’

really enthusiastic. We noticed as much during the guided tours. At first they were a bit wary about the ‘call center approach’ that you often see when you’re dealing with Smart Working. But once they are actually on the floors, they are won over straightaway.’

‘Everyone wanted to get to work straightaway!’

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The new AkzoNobel Center with all its facilities serves as an example worldwide and is also an important pull factor in the ‘war for talent’.

Kip: ‘It was remarkable to watch this building come alive, watching it go from concrete, glass and light to a working whole complete with all its infrastructure and tools.’ De Haan: ‘Everyone wanted to get to work straightaway!’

AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel

136 Harry Wolbrink, Bas Stoker and Wilco Zintel

‘OF COURSE THE ICT FACILITIES HAD TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION FROM THE START’ In conversation with Bas Stoker, Wilco Zintel and Harry Wolbrink

It’s not often the case that Dura Vermeer builds for a tenant with the level of technological expertise of AkzoNobel. The fact is that Harry Wolbrink has been part of the Projects & Engineering department, AkzoNobel’s in-house engineering firm, since 1980. Over that time he has acquired wide-ranging technological expertise. In the early period the company was still engaged in very diverse activities, the portfolio including brands such as Duyvis, Zwitsal, Enka and Organon. Wolbrink: ‘The result was that all sorts of specialized plants had to be designed and built all over the world – it made for really varying work at Projects & Engineering.’ For some time now AkzoNobel has focused exclusively on the production of paint, coatings and specialty chemicals and become a market leader in those fields.

Around 2007 AkzoNobel first considered moving its head office to Amsterdam’s Zuidas. Wolbrink became involved as an in-house advisor, especially on installations and technology. A four-year lease was signed for for a centrally located building in a central location, as well as a contract for a building planned in the Beethoven sector.

Throughout the eight years the process played a key role.

AkzoNobel

Office buildings are becoming ever more sophisticated. Heating and cooling, solar shading, air circulation and ICT facilities all make an important contribution to an ideal working environment. As a result, buildings become more and more complex and installation experts get to play an increasingly prominent part. Bas Stoker is a building expert at Dura Vermeer and specializes in installations. Harry Wolbrink, in his capacity of civil engineer at AkzoNobel, represents its interests with regard to technology in the new building. Wilco Zintel is an electronics engineer and was involved in the construction process on behalf of Homij Technische Installaties. The three worked closely together during the planning of the new AkzoNobel Center.

Stoker: ‘It’s all about being ready for the future.’

It produced a close collaboration with Bas Stoker of Dura Vermeer and Homij’s Wilco Zintel. Together they worked on honing and improving the technological facilities of the new building. From the start AkzoNobel and Dura Vermeer had an agreement that further optimization of the design should be an option. In practice this meant that Dura Vermeer together with Homij and in consultation with AkzoNobel started to look for smart, technological solutions which would lead to savings without impacting on the functionality and aesthetics of the building. All those involved in the process made a contribution based on their own expertise. Zintel: ‘You can tell that at AkzoNobel they know a lot about the process side of things. Their plants have to be operational 24/7 because shutting them down means financial loss straightaway. That’s why everything is geared to absolute guarantees. With an office building, it’s different. If you go for absolute guarantees there, the building becomes unaffordable.’

In addition to AkzoNobel, Union, the investment firm, was also involved in this process. As the building’s proprietor, it had its own high quality standard with requirements and conditions to match. Stoker: ‘It was an intensive process, but everything was done following full consultation.

Everybody was willing to give and take. The final design was a real gentleman’s agreement.’

The process started with the specifications written for ING, based on a program of requirements compiled by the Brink Groep in 2006/2007.

At that time the idea was to build a conventional type of office with individual rooms. Wolbrink: ‘But when we picked up the project again six years later, there had been a change of mind: AkzoNobel no longer wanted rooms but an open plan workplace which could offer flexibility.’

The design by architecture firm Group A turned out to be flexible enough to cope with this shift. The grid pattern of 1.80 meters, which served as a basis for the dimensions of the rooms, was maintained in the new set-up. It provided an excellent basis for an open workplace with closed rooms for consultation and phonecalls, all of it with ceiling cooling. Zintel: ‘The water-carrying pipes installed in this closed ceiling enable balanced heating and cooling of the building. The temperature can be read at points of measurement in the ceiling using a special app

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‘We have LED lighting in the entire office, which would have been inconceivable five years ago’

and can be adjusted per “zone” of approximately forty square meters, as desired. The same app can also be used to adjust the lighting, solar shading and interior climate. It’s user-friendly and energy-efficient.’

The same can be said about the lighting in the building. Wolbrink: ‘We have LED lamps in the entire office, which would have been inconceivable five years ago.’ One major advantage is that this lighting comes with a smart selection switch. The ceiling has multisensors measuring the presence and level of daylight both near the windows and at the center of the building. These ensure that the lighting will be dimmed to the appropriate level at all times. This way there will always be enough light on the workfloor while at the same time energy savings are made.

At an early stage, Homij came up with a significant optimization in installation terms. The original design included double pipes for central heating and cooled water running along the building’s façades. Homij proposed a four-pipe system at the center of the building instead.

This compact central system now provides ceiling cooling throughout the building and is more effective and cheaper to install besides.

Stoker: ‘Using ceiling cooling and raised floors makes for optimum freedom and flexibility in the building. The power and ICT cables can be accessed everywhere by lifting tiles in the floor, so in future it will always be possible to make additional connections without the eyesore formed by cable trays and floor covers.’ Ordinarily speaking, tenants install ICT facilities according to their own views and preferences after the building has been delivered, but in this case the ICT facilities were part of the agreements between Dura Vermeer and AkzoNobel from the start. This enabled integral ICT incorporation into the technological equipment of the building, an effective approach which called for intensive consultation and coordination in the preparations. Wolbrink: ‘To us, this was a logical approach. It meant there would not have to be another process after delivery in which the floors and ceilings would be opened up again.’

Investor Union was a key participant throughout the process.

For them it was important, with a view to the building’s lifespan that the installations would be suitable for potential future multi-

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‘It’s about being prepared for the future and realizing the optimum lifespan for the building’

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occupancy, with more than one tenant. This called for additional facilities in the design, for instance with regard to the sprinkler systems and connections for extra toilets. The climate control systems in the building also had to have separate operating and billing features.

Stoker: ‘It’s about being prepared for the future and realizing the optimum lifespan for the building.’

Wolbrink: ‘Of course, the terrific architecture plays an important part here. Nothing in this building is simple and straightforward. The ground floor boasts a unique, open character that perfectly matches the plan for the Beethoven sector, which is to have offices and cultural institutions as well as residential areas. It will be a mixed neighborhood and the new AkzoNobel Center will confirm AkzoNobel’s position at the center of society.’

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AkzoNobel

144 Jeroen Krijnders, Kirsten van Vollenhoven and Jacco Paauw

‘THE WHOLE SUSTAINABLE BUILDING CONCEPT IS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY’ In conversation with Jacco Paauw, Jeroen Krijnders and Kirsten van Vollenhoven

After studying Building Technology at Delft University of Technology, Jacco Paauw started his career at DGMR, a consultancy firm dealing with issues such as building physics, fire safety, sustainability, noise and vibration. DGMR’s clients can be found in road and rail traffic, nonresidential construction as well as area development.

In addition, the firm designs dedicated energy performance and noise software for engineering firms. Paauw feels at home working at this interface of architecture, technology and sustainability: ‘The best thing is becoming involved at the design stage. Then the architect can really take your input on board.’ Paauw was already working on the two projects back in 2006, when they were still under development by ING Real Estate. DGMR stayed involved all through the eventual transfer of the projects to Dura Vermeer via Stibbe and AkzoNobel.

Jeroen Krijnders is a work planner for Dura Vermeer. When he joined the construction company in 1995, sustainability was still in its infancy: ‘In those days we installed high-efficiency boilers and that was pretty much it. It took until 2011 for me to embark on my first project under BREEAM.’ This certification of sustainable buildings was introduced in 2008 by the Dutch Green Building Council, of which Dura Vermeer is a founding partner, and quickly came to be the common standard. Early in 2013 Krijnders joined the project team for the Stibbe and AkzoNobel buildings. ‘I had gained quite a lot of experience with BREEAM at

AkzoNobel

The buildings for Stibbe and AkzoNobel were both awarded the international BREEAM Excellent certificate. They were designed and built to meet very high sustainability standards. Jacco Paauw, Jeroen Krijnders and Kirsten van Vollenhoven each made their own contribution to this achievement: Paauw in terms of design, Krijnders in terms of construction and Van Vollenhoven in terms of use. Van Vollenhoven: ‘Sustainability has become a wider corporate social responsibility. It’s something you just have to do.’

Dura Vermeer in the meantime, and of course the clients liked that.

Besides, because of my interest in architecture I have always kept an eye on the design qualities.’

Kirsten van Vollenhoven studied Applied Domestic Science, more commonly known now as Facility Management, in Heerlen. After working for various clients in catering and hospitality sector, including Holland Casino, Keukenhof Gardens and the Kasteel Oud Wassenaar estate, Van Vollenhoven became facility manager at Stibbe in 2002.

Here she organized the activities of the support services. In early 2013 she was asked to work on the Stibbe construction project as facility manager.

Van Vollenhoven: ‘Of course, we had to see to it that technology, hospitality and services-related facilities were organized properly.

In that respect a law firm like Stibbe is a very specific sort of client.

Work in their building goes on 24/7.’ It was a deliberate choice to involve the support services in the construction process from day one in order to achieve the best possible design concept. BREEAM certification was intended from the start; in the first instance the aim was the ‘very good’ level, but soon they were determined to go for ‘excellent’ certification.

Van Vollenhoven: ‘The sustainability field is transforming rapidly and that meant we had to be able to adjust quickly as well and come up with new solutions during the process.’ Van Vollenhoven made an important contribution relating to routing and logistics during the design stage of the Stibbe building. Screens to block the sun and excess light were also a factor, not only in terms of working atmosphere in the offices but also because of the building’s energy performance. Van Vollenhoven’s efforts were directed primarily to ‘BREEAM in use’ certification, which concerns sustainable management and use of a building. Here too the aim was to go for BREEAM Excellent certification. Van Vollenhoven: ‘Using less paper, recycling bicycles and an electric car for office use: they all count.

Of course, the building is your principal asset. That is where you can make the difference in terms of energy consumption, green energy and the way you deal with waste disposal.’ Van Vollenhoven focuses on the Stibbe office, but a similar approach applies in AkzoNobel’s case.

From the moment the offices become operational, the companies

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‘Using less paper, recycling bicycles and an electric car for office use, they all count’

‘The carpenter was not allowed to leave the site in his work clothes because he might be spreading building material via his clothes’ The AkzoNobel building has an intelligent double façade, guaranteeing ample daylight entry and views while at the same time providing high energy efficiency. The space between the two façade layers has a heating effect in winter and a cooling one in summer because hot air can rise up between the façades and flow out. A lot of attention has also been paid to installations. For instance, rooms with varying occupancy have been equipped with a carbon sensor which will automatically switch on the mechanical ventilation if required.

Sustainability was also emphasized during construction. It provided

AkzoNobel

have three years to gain the desired ‘BREEAM in use’ certification.

Paauw: ‘Sustainability in construction has become much more comprehensive over the years. In the first instance it was just about energy consumption linked to financial models. Then use of materials and water consumption were added. With BREEAM we are dealing with sustainability in all its aspects, with high quality, flexibility and social sustainability all playing a part as well.’ This means that sustainability is considered during the entire process from design and construction right up to the facility stage. This frequently threw up interesting questions when the values of different choices concerning sustainability had to be balanced against each other. Krijnders: ‘The façade of the AkzoNobel building is a case in point. Dura Vermeer proposed replacing the wood as a way of improving quality. Wood is a natural product that can warp and so may not last as long. Opting for aluminum covered with a thin layer of wood would give better results, but is much less environmentally friendly. It would mean having to compensate bauxite mine and blast furnace operation. That turned out to outweigh the potential drawbacks of wood.’

One of the key facilities sustainability-wise is the thermal storage plant (WKO) used by both buildings. It enables underground storage of excess heat in summer, so that it can be used in winter to heat the building, while in winter cold can be stored for cooling the building in summer. The obligatory district heating is used only for supplementary heating on extremely cold days. Other facilities include the solar cells on the roof of the AkzoNobel building and Stibbe’s green roof.

the opportunity to score important credits in environmental impact, waste management and ecological terms. One example is the ecologist brought in to observe the flight of the various bat populations in the nearby Beatrix Park for several nights. To disturb the routine of these animals as little as possible, the volume of white light on the building site was reduced. This led to green light being used for the security firm and amber orientation lights.

Krijnders: ‘To me that was a really fun and interesting part, even though my colleagues’ response tended to be, ‘there he goes again’.

For instance, when I had to tell a fifty-year-old carpenter that he was not allowed to leave the site in his work clothes to get some french fries because he might be spreading building material via his clothes.’

In terms of sustainable use and management Stibbe and AkzoNobel will have a great basis where all the installations are in working order and future-proof. Van Vollenhoven: ‘We see that our people are really enthusiastic about the new building and are also prepared to take the next step and make truly different use of the building. It’s all about changing mentality and behavior. If the lights go out automatically when you leave the room, chances are that people will switch off the lights themselves in other places as well.’

Paauw found both projects very interesting. They show how the concept of sustainable construction is developing rapidly. Thus you have the favorable material scores that can be attained when buildings have an open office interior with a limited number of inside walls.

Another important issue is the way in which the environmental load ratio between the different aspects of the building changes. Paauw: ‘That combination of sustainability-related facilities is what makes it so interesting. Using thermal storage reduces the cost of heating and cooling so much that lighting turns into the greatest expense – even when highly energy-efficient LED lighting is used like we do in the AkzoNobel building. This makes it interesting to come up with buildings with plenty of daylight. It represents a break with the old assumptions about sustainable buildings, which always took compact buildings with small façades as their premise. I believe that from now on sustainable buildings are going to look quite different.’

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‘From now on sustainable buildings are going to look quite different’

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AkzoNobel

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‘ALL THOSE CANS AND CONTAINERS OF SIKKENS COATINGS AND WALL PAINTS, THAT’S A GREAT SIGHT!’ In conversation with Toine Koppers

The Sikkens brand has been around for 220 years. The firm joined Koninklijke Zout Ketjen in 1962, then via Koninklijke Zout Organon and through a series of consecutive mergers it became part of Akzo, which later became AkzoNobel. AkzoNobel now is one of the world’s leading coatings manufacturers, producing decorative coatings, furniture varnishes, powder coatings, protective coatings, boat varnishes, fire protection coatings, aircraft finishes and car refinish products.

Koppers attended laboratory school, where he specialized in analytical chemistry. ‘What I enjoyed most were the practical classes in the lab.

That’s where things really came to life. We built traditional chemical installations with among others Liebig condensers and Erlenmeyers.

This called for great accuracy and I was quite good at that.’ His career with Sikkens started as a temporary hire for the laboratory where intermediates were tested. He also worked in the microscopy department, where he worked on what is known as ‘dried paint’, i.e. paint already applied to a surface. This department dealt with complaints about paints with poor adhesion or inferior hiding power or colors. Taking samples from, say, a painted window frame and examining them under a microscope, they tried to find the cause of the problem. Koppers: ‘I did this sort of work for nearly five years.

The problems I encountered had to do with paint on wooden frames

AkzoNobel

Toine Koppers is Key Account Manager for Sikkens at AkzoNobel. In the course of his thirty years in the business he has acquired great expertise in the field of paints and coatings as used in industry and in construction. He was closely involved in the construction of the new AkzoNobel Center, where company products were used exclusively.

Everything, from the powder coatings for the ceiling systems to the indoor and outdoor paints, was provided by AkzoNobel. Koppers was a regular visitor to the construction site to check how things were going and to offer advice.

for instance, or with automotive lacquers and boat varnishes. In such cases it was especially interesting to examine the underside of the paint under the microscope. If you did not see any sanding marks there, you knew that the painter had omitted to sand, or to sand sufficiently, and that as a result the paint could not adhere properly.

Then you had managed to identify the problem.’

Koppers next worked in the Automotive Coatings department for some time. This was when he visited car makers to look at problems relating to particles of dust in coatings on the spot. Koppers: ‘We are really talking a sort of CSI level here. We would examine such a paint line minutely to discover where those particles of dust came from. They might well originate from a piece of cloth lying around or from chafing machine parts. It is very important for the manufacturer to get to the bottom of such a problem, because repainting a car body takes a lot of time and money.’

After that, Koppers trained to become a field representative and through Technical Information on Architectural Paints he made the switch to the position of account manager. This is when he began not only to sell to painting firms but also to offer them support and advice about which coatings and paints to use. Following an internal reorganization he was made Key Account Manager. In this position he now advises customers not bound by region, such as institutional investors and their managers. He also keeps in touch with large architectural firms to advise on projects and provide the coatings required, such as for the new entrance to the Van Gogh Museum.

Because of his wide-ranging product knowledge and wealth of experience in the field, Koppers was made the advisor and contact for paints and coatings for the AkzoNobel construction at the Zuidas. For his starting premise he had the architect’s original paint specifications describing the various paint systems. Because these were a few years old by then, Koppers first had to check whether all the paints and coatings required were still part of the current AkzoNobel product range. Koppers: ‘It had been agreed in advance that only AkzoNobel products were to be used. So that meant using literally every range, from carpentry products for the wood to fire protective coatings for the steel structure, powder coatings for the outer walls and ceiling

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‘When you use the right paint everywhere, the overall picture will be right’

sections among others, decorative paints and varnishes for the interior and a special lacquer system for the spiral staircase in the atrium.’

This basic premise extended even to the furniture, since the steel frames of the desks came to be coated with an Interpon powder coating made by AkzoNobel. This was a precondition for the furniture manufacturer.

From day one of construction, Koppers was the contact for everything to do with the paints and coatings in the building. He was the link between construction and the various AkzoNobel business units and provided advice and answers to questions. He was also a regular on site. Koppers: ‘All those cans and containers of Sikkens coatings and wall paints ready for use. That’s a great sight.’

The work became particularly interesting once construction was under way. It turned out that while the paints to be applied to the wooden frames were specified, their colors had not yet been chosen. Koppers: ‘In the Netherlands we no longer have a pilot plant or lab. So my colleague Harry Wolbrink and Folkert van Hagen, the architect, had to go to our plant in Germany to do the final color selection and to have the paint prepared there.’

Koppers considers the steel central spiral staircase in the atrium to be the real feat in his field. The architect had specified that the top coat should be a white, clear varnish. But when too many anomalies kept showing up in the surface, he had to go looking for an alternative.

The first task was to convince the architect that only an extremely mat finish would cover up the anomalies. Koppers then went for an unusual solution: a finish from the Joinery & Wood Unit of Sikkens. Koppers: ‘It’s a product that’s really made for wood. It was applied by spraying it onto an intermediate coat of Sikkens deco, which in its turn was applied to a protective coating adhesive film. And that worked out very well. It provided the effect we were all looking for.’ For this type of out-of-the-box thinking Koppers can call on a wealth of experience and product know-how as well as the expertise of his colleagues within the company.

Koppers: ‘Paint is very important in terms of the appearance of a building. When you use the right paint everywhere, the overall picture

AkzoNobel

‘We would not want to park our cars on a deck with a coating produced by someone else’

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will be right. The AkzoNobel Center is a perfect example of this.

Our products have been used even in the garage which we share with the St. Nicolaaslyceum and Stibbe. After all, we would not want to park our cars on a deck with a coating produced by someone else.’

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AkzoNobel

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‘THE AKZONOBEL CENTER REFLECTS THE VALUES OF OUR COMPANY IN EVERY ASPECT’ In conversation with Nathalie Quéré

In 2012 Quéré started in the Global Communications department of AkzoNobel. She decided to first get to know her terrain properly and to that end visited various sites and plants. Quéré: ‘It was a good way to get an idea of the company. What characterizes AkzoNobel is the tangible nature of its products and the industrial world in which they are manufactured. What also struck me straightaway was the passion and pride of the people working here.’ Quéré sees AkzoNobel as a company where enterprise, curiosity and a drive to keep developing and improving are key.

With her team Quéré began redefining AkzoNobel as a brand in 2013.

Quéré: ‘The trigger for that trajectory was the strategic management shift that over the last few years has seen AkzoNobel develop into an active management holding.’ In that respect the appointment of Ton Büchner as CEO in 2012 was a major step. In the new setup the corporate and business functions came to be much closer and AkzoNobel as a global company acquired a more integrated character.

The AkzoNobel Center is testament to this new course.

For Quéré and her team all of this was sufficient reason to have a close look at the brand. Quéré: ‘In doing so we focused on the values underlying the AkzoNobel brand and the contribution they are likely to make to future growth.’ This resulted in the identification of three important building blocks whose shared characteristic lies in the contribution they make to creating a more liveable and inspiring world:

AkzoNobel

Nathalie Quéré is Director of Brand, Digital and Creative Services at AkzoNobel. French born, she came to the Netherlands through marriage. After training in PR, communications and marketing, she worked for various telecom companies before joining AkzoNobel.

In the past few years, she and her team have worked on brand AkzoNobel. Quéré: ‘I fell in love with the specific identity of AkzoNobel, its long history and the loyalty of its employees.

They form the inspiration for my work.’

‘The color wheel led to each floor having its own color, ranging from a deep indigo blue on the ninth floor to very pale hues on the ground floor’ Quéré: ‘We use the context of “essentials” to show the important role our products play in everyday life. So we display them in various locations, such as outside the meeting rooms and on the large screens in the reception area. For instance, we have an image of a running shoe, which highlights our multi-performance Expancel additive.’

Each floor also has a display platform on which the company exhibits some of its products. Together they form a guide to the wide range of products made by AkzoNobel.

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‘essential ingredients‘, ‘essential protection‘ and ‘essential color’.

In addition, core reputation drivers were embedded – sustainability, innovation and human cities – while AkzoNobel’s brand personality was more clearly defined – pioneering, caring, inspiring.

Quéré: ‘In 2013 I became involved in the construction project at the Zuidas. It was then decided, under the leadership of Piet Schalkwijk, that the new AkzoNobel Center should reflect the values of our company in every aspect.’ Quéré was able to work on this with a wide-ranging team of in-house brand managers, creative people and designers within AkzoNobel. She explains that it was a deliberate choice not to work with outside firms and designers on this trajectory.

In fact, she considers working with in-house people a good way of defining and protecting the AkzoNobel brand: ‘The output of our own AkzoNobel team ties in with what we envisage. It is the best way of staying close to AkzoNobel’s identity. This way we were able to turn our brand’s values into a natural component of the new building.’

To implement the branding principles Quéré worked closely with Folkert van Hagen, the architect also responsible for the interior design of the AkzoNobel Center. Quéré: ‘One key aspect is the color wheel. It led to each floor having its own color, ranging from a deep indigo blue on the ninth floor to very pale hues on the ground floor.’

The colors of the floors continue in the three stairwells, which also improves orientation within the building. On one of the stairwell walls there are quotes emphasizing that color is one of the building blocks of the AkzoNobel brand.

In addition, the AkzoNobel Center uses digital technology to express the core qualities of AkzoNobel as a brand. Quéré: ‘The office floors are organized in accordance with the Smart Working principles as developed by AkzoNobel. This means we work in open plan areas and make joint use of rooms of many different sizes for different kinds of meetings. High-end digital technology is invaluable in such cases. In branding we also frequently use digital screens to promote activities and developments within AkzoNobel, for instance in the lobby on the ground floor.’

‘You can organize your day here exactly as you want’

AkzoNobel

The aim of branding in the new building is to contribute to a more liveable and inspiring working environment in line with the company’s three core principles: safety, integrity and sustainability.

Nathalie Quéré herself is very enthusiastic about the new AkzoNobel Center. To her, the freedom which working according to the Smart Working principles offers is especially appealing. Quéré: ‘You can organize your day here exactly as you want. The rooms and digital tools create accessible and functional surroundings to support your work and make everything more pleasant and efficient. And more importantly: it is a really beautiful building which provides us with inspiring surroundings. It really fills us all with pride.’

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AkzoNobel

168 Quint Ramerman and Roel Teeninga

‘THIS PROJECT IS REALLY TOP OF THE BILL. AS YOU CAN TELL FROM THE FINAL RESULT, NO EXPENSE HAS BEEN SPARED’ In conversation with Quint Ramerman and Roel Teeninga

Roel Teeninga likes to be on site, the point where people and parts come together to produce something remarkable. After studying construction technology, he joined Dura Vermeer, where a one-year traineeship served to familiarize him with the different aspects of working in construction. He moved to work planning, first working on housing and later on nonresidential construction, which is his real passion. Teeninga: ‘You have very little repetition in nonresidential construction. The projects are always unique. The greater their complexity, the more I enjoy working on them.’

Quint Ramerman is a real entrepeneur. After his military service and a few ‘way stations’ he found a job as a junior account manager at Verwol, a company producing inner walls, suspended ceilings and custom-made interiors. Just four years later he took over the company, which at the time employed three hundred people. With his partner Ramerman managed Verwol for ten years, but in the end the job became too big for him. ‘I was out with customers seven days a week and no longer knew my own people. Such a large organization also makes you less flexible. We had to deal with lower-level managers at every stage and could no longer make changes as quickly as I wanted to.’

AkzoNobel

The AkzoNobel Center has a high-quality interior to match the client’s views and wishes. Based on the principles of Smart Working, an open office environment was created with closed rooms here and there for tasks requiring a greater focus, making phone calls and having meetings. This interior was the result of close collaboration between Roel Teeninga and Quint Ramerman, with Teeninga focusing on the connection between building and interior and Ramerman seeing to the construction of the cockpits and meeting rooms. Ramerman: ‘The bar for the standard of the work spaces was raised extremely high. Also, everything had to fit down to the last millimeter. We never made anything like that before.’

After ten years as owner/director Ramerman decided to sell his business and start over. In doing so, he deliberately opted for a smaller scale. On a total of five sites he now employs thirty people in the office, one hundred externally and another forty in the plant.

‘My company, Technoproject, was responsible for the AkzoNobel interior. As specialists in fully finished, custom-made partition walls, we supplied walls with built-in facilities for data and power. All we had to do on site was slot them into place.’

Teeninga was responsible for the whole final phase of the construction of the AkzoNobel Center. In that position he had to always take into account that the shell, including the floors and ceilings, was the property of Union, the investment company, while the interior belonged to AkzoNobel. The design for the interior, like that of the building, was made by architecture firm Group A and was finished by the end of 2013. Teeninga supervised the tendering process for construction of the interior in 2014. Teeninga: ‘AkzoNobel came to Dura Vermeer with all its wishes. We put a price on those and then looked into what the market could provide. Technoproject was not the cheapest option, but they came out on top in supplying to our specifications.’

The fact that some of the choices regarding the interior affected the building’s shell added a further complication. Teeninga: ‘The meeting rooms and cockpits required facilities in the floors and ceilings. Proper placement of lighting, sprinklers and air vents was vital. Of course, you want to make sure that you do not end up in or just outside one of the walls.’

The cockpits and meeting rooms are scattered like islands on the workplace floors. They include a great many transparent walls made of double glazing. Ramerman: ‘Technoproject had some experience in cutting edges in glass, but we had not worked with double glazing before. That’s extra tricky, because glass tends to bend and shift and with double glazing you get that twice. Moreover, this design left no room for deviations or, as we say, tolerances.’

It was decided to first build a trial room during construction, a mockup to find out how the materials would work in practice. So, on the sixth floor a meeting room was built which included all the requisite features: a glass wall, a glass wall plus door, a solid wall with side lights,

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‘This design left no room for deviations or, as we say, tolerances’

a completely solid wall, a primed Artwall to hang art on and outside walls with wood veneer. Ramerman: ‘It became clear straightaway that the glass edges did not fit up properly. Roel Teeninga, Cor Broekhuizen, the project manager on site, and I spent hours trying to find a way to resolve the problem. That’s what’s so good about Dura Vermeer. They don’t say: “You wanted to take on the project, you find the solution.” They really want to contribute their ideas.’

In the end Ramerman concluded that if he wanted to get the intended quality, there was nothing for it but to have all the edges recut.

The result is the realization of a series of rooms of ‘0 tolerance’, everything made exactly to measure. Teeninga: ‘All the walls and doors are precisely one hundred millimetres thick and that makes it possible to make everything dead true. Even the door, which has no hinges and is mounted on a pivot rotating 180 degrees, does not protrude anywhere. Everything is all tight and “flush”, as they say. Flush was really the magic word for this project.’

The rooms themselves are also state of the art. For instance, the videoconferencing screens are fully integrated in the wall and all have the Lync Skype for Business function. To this end another trial wall was made in close collaboration with the team of Harry Wolbrink of AkzoNobel. Each meeting room has a special Artwall, perfectly coated and plastered to create a suitable surface for the exhibited AkzoNobel Art Foundation art works.

The walls of the cockpits and meeting rooms are covered on the outside with an oak veneer which is finely perforated in order to contribute to the building’s acoustics. Teeninga: ‘Noise requirements were an important issue for AkzoNobel, also because working in an open office environment was new to them.’ The boardroom on the ninth floor in fact has extra thick walls to achieve complete soundproofing.

In the AkzoNobel Center the principles of Smart Working have not created busy open working spaces. The acoustics have been optimized and the organization on the floors is such that the meeting rooms and cockpits are closer to the atrium, while the open workstations are to be found near the façade. Ramerman: ‘In other words, it feels different from what we tend to think of as ‘open workspace’. Despite this, we used less than 4,000 square meters of inner wall in a surface area of over 13,000 square meters. In a traditional office we would have needed 6,500 square meters or more.’

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‘Flush was really the magic word for this project’

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Teeninga and Ramerman look back on a successful collaboration.

Ramerman: ‘It was very intense and even “heavy” at times, because it was such a complex job requiring very precise work. But the result is really top of the bill. In terms of technology and the use of sustainable materials, no expense has been spared. And of course the paints and coatings applied were all made by AkzoNobel.’

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‘IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO MAKE FURNITURE FOR CHALLENGING PROJECTS SUCH AS THE AKZONOBEL OFFICE’ In conversation with Raymond Leentvaar and Laurens Zeegers

After getting his degree in civil engineering, Zeegers joined the family business. Soons in recent years has been contemplating its future.

The economic downturn made for tough times in the building trade, which had its impact on Soons. Even so, it was decided to continue manufacturing custom-made furniture in house for every market segment. Zeegers: ‘Because we have control over our production, we always know what’s going on and it’s easy for us to respond to questions posed by our cabinetmakers, for instance about the different appearances of veneering and how these should match.

Those sorts of details determine what quality is about.’ Soons has worked with Group A on various assignments. Zeegers: ‘They are involved in fine, challenging projects. Making furniture for those projects is a privilege.’

When it comes to interior design, Group A has a lot of in-house expertise. With architect and board member Folkert van Hagen the firm has executed a series of major office projects for clients such as Sabic in Sittard and BP in Rotterdam. After his training at the Wood and Cabinetmaking College in Rotterdam, Raymond Leentvaar spent fifteen years at the leading interior design firm of Merkx+Girod. He has been part of the interior design team of Group A since 2013. Leentvaar:

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Laurens Zeegers is seventh generation in the Soons family business.

The company specializes in custom-made furniture and in-house manufacture of every part. Soons and Group A have worked together on a number of large-scale interior design projects in the past. The AkzoNobel contract saw Zeegers working with Raymond Leentvaar in particular. Leentvaar was trained as a cabinetmaker and has wide-ranging experience of complicated interior design projects.

He describes his collaboration with Zeegers as follows: ‘You have a click when you both know what you’re doing. It can lead to really fine results.’

‘We deal with terrific assignments here. Sometimes it’s only interiors, as in the case of OMA’s De Rotterdam building for the municipality and the Damen Shipyards office. Other times, the interior goes with a building designed by Group A, as in the case of the AkzoNobel office.’

After the preliminary design phase, Folkert van Hagen and Raymond Leentvaar collaborated on the final design and specifications. The rounded contours of the building serve as the context for an interior with similar stylistic influences. Special parts of the interior such as the reception desk, the coffee bar and the furniture for the exhibition space of the AkzoNobel Art Foundation were all manufactured by Soons. Another important aspect is the wall covering with its integrated technical equipment.

Group A supplied the designs for the furniture and components which Soons manufactured in house for AkzoNobel. Leentvaar: ‘Soons will go to any lengths in such cases. If they say that something is not working, it is clear to us that adjustments need to be made. The click you have when you both know what you’re doing is crucial. It can lead to really fine results.’ Of course, the client has to appreciate this quality as well.

AkzoNobel selected Soons’ quote from those of five furniture makers.

This was not only because of price but also for reasons of quality.

Zeegers: ‘This project presented us with a number of interesting challenges. For instance, the reception desk at the ground floor entrance and the security gates form a single unit. So this unit had to be fitted between two structural cores. There was no room for maneuver, it had to be an exact fit. This meant we needed to do some additional measuring on site.’ Soons made a special computermilled 1:1 model of this unit, so it could be fitted on site as a mockup. That way it became clear that there needed to be further piping adjustments. It turned out that in the first instance there was no power supply for the security gates. Additional cables have since been laid in the building. Zeegers: ‘This was a really difficult feat to pull off.’

A great deal of care and attention has also gone into the wall covering in the entire building. The AV screens were built in together with the speakers and the operating panels and this required good coordination with AkzoNobel’s technical team. Zeegers: ‘We are talking sophisticated completion, a high-quality finish down to the remote

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‘You have a click when you both know what you’re doing.

It can lead to really fine results’

‘We are talking sophisticated completion, a high-quality finish down to the remote control sensor’ Zeegers and Leentvaar are both enthusiastic about the outcome, in particular about the reception area with its attractive appearance and open, inviting character. Here the different parts – entrance, exhibition space, coffee bar and restaurant – meet in elegant fashion.

On the floors where the employees work, what is most notable is the quiet. Here you find workstations on the quiet, façade side of the building interspersed with meeting rooms and concentration spaces. Zeegers: ‘It is often the case that you see a lot of people in open space offices because the enclosed spaces are found along the façade. Here we have created the reverse. It makes for a nice and quiet atmosphere.’

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control sensor.’ Screens of various sizes, types and use have been built in at different points in the building. One eye-catching example is the seven-meter long screen wall in the central lobby, built from connected 85-inch screens. Leentvaar: ‘The AkzoNobel team has a lot of in-house technical expertise. That made for easy discussions and meant we never had to do much explaining.’

The AkzoNobel building is characterized by its high technical standard.

In a process of continuous consultation with AkzoNobel, all provisions were fitted with great care. An example of this are the lockers, almost invisibly integrated in the walls of the floors. Employees can open them with a tag but also with their mobile phones. Zeegers: ‘Those are highgrade facilities, hence the project is complex in terms of technical detail. But because we were able to work for the customer directly, without having to go through a contractor, there was more and better consultation. This made it easier to adjust plans and make changes in the course of the project. The result is a much better thought-out building.’

Other structural components made by Soons are the pantries on each floor, the boardroom, service units with print shop facilities, various types of conference tables and other furniture such as a circular couch for visitor reception and furniture for the company restaurant.

Zeegers: ‘There was a good atmosphere among all the parties involved on the building site. Everybody was solution-oriented and the end result reflects that.’

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‘WE DISPLAY OUR COLLECTION IN A LIVELY WORKING ENVIRONMENT. THAT’S VERY DIFFERENT FROM A MUSEUM COLLECTION’ In conversation with Hester Alberdingk Thijm

In the late 1980s Alberdingk Thijm was one of the founders of the Beurs van Berlage Foundation, the exhibition space in Amsterdam’s famous former stock exchange building. Here for the first time major exhibitions were organized without subsidies, paid for instead by sponsorship and the income from commercial rental. It was a novelty for the Netherlands. Building bridges between the art world, corporations and the public at large continued to be what motivates Alberdingk Thijm. From 1990 to 1995 she worked at the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, where she sat on the management team headed by Professor Wim Crouwel. Here she was responsible for communications, education, sponsorship and public activities.

In 1995 Alberdingk Thijm moved to AkzoNobel. Some years previous the company had moved into a new building in Arnhem and the idea was that the visual arts should have a prominent place there.

Alberdingk Thijm: ‘AkzoNobel felt it was important to have a separate foundation for the art, so there would be other options

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Hester Alberdingk Thijm has headed the AkzoNobel Art Foundation, a corporate art collection at the interface of audience, commerce and art, since it was set up in 1996. Alberdingk Thijm sees herself as a connector, spurred on by curiosity and a passion for the visual arts. The AkzoNobel Essential Art Space on the ground floor of the new building at the Zuidas shows works which are mostly from the collection in temporary exhibitions. Over four hundred works acquired by the Art Foundation can also be found on the floors of the AkzoNobel Center in Amsterdam and in the Arnhem office. Alberdingk Thijm: ‘We are moving towards a society in which we will have fewer and fewer possessions. Rather, it will be about inspiration, inspiration that art can provide.’

besides hanging it.’ This resulted in the setting up of the AkzoNobel Art Foundation in 1996, with the aim of building an international, contemporary collection in various disciplines. Alberdingk Thijm: ‘We opted for a strong focus on research, with quality as a guide.

This way the art collection would tie in with the innovative character of AkzoNobel as a company.’

Since its establishment the AkzoNobel Art Foundation has worked on compiling a collection focusing on the themes of ‘individuals & society’, ‘space’ and ‘color and research’. The collection represents a dynamic whole in which the main themes overlap and are interconnected as well. The themes are intended to make the collection more accessible and comprehensible for AkzoNobel employees and the wider public alike.

Alberdingk Thijm: ‘The situation in museums is very different. They tend to be about the “white box” principle. Visitors come on purpose to look at the art and do so in neutral surroundings with very little distraction. We have our collection in a lively working building where people do not come especially for the art. It means art is given a very different context and function.’

The AkzoNobel Art Foundation by now owns some 1,800 works. Partly these can be found on the office floors and in the new AkzoNobel Essential Art Space on the ground floor of the AkzoNobel Art Center.

Alberdingk Thijm: ‘Our collection has also doubled in value. As a foundation we do not have a profit motive and we do not sell any of our works, but it does say something about their quality, of course.

We also regularly give works on loan to institutions all over the world, such as MoMA in New York or Tate Modern in London.’

Alberdingk Thijm became involved in plans for the new building in Amsterdam at an early stage. One of the starting points in the Zuidas development was that art and culture would have a prominent place.

To this end the Virtual Museum Zuidas Foundation was set up, an initiative Alberdingk Thijm was involved in from day one.

Alberdingk Thijm: ‘The Beethoven sector has a special quality in that the green surroundings of the Beatrix Park can be combined with culture in a lively, community-friendly setting.’ This idea clearly chimes with AkzoNobel’s Human Cities, a social initiative aimed at keeping cities worldwide liveable.

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‘There is a pleasant buzz on the ground floor. It’s lively and you feel welcome’

It was clear from the start that the new AkzoNobel Center should have an open, public plinth. Alberdingk Thijm: ‘Throughout the process I had many inspiring discussions with the architect, Folkert van Hagen, about the ideal way in which to combine architecture and art in the new building. I have enormous admiration for his expertise. Here is someone who is always open to new ideas and has an unstoppable drive.’

Alberdingk Thijm is very enthusiastic about the new building. She praises the layered transparent façade and the interior’s dynamic qualities, but above all she is thrilled about the dedicated space for the AkzoNobel Art Foundation. Alberdingk Thijm: ‘There is a pleasant buzz on the ground floor. It’s lively and you feel welcome. The AkzoNobel Essential Art Space acts as a business card here. It helps to signify that the people who work in the building are not forced into a straitjacket and that there is room for inspiration and freedom.

By sharing the art collection with the public at large, we make a real contribution to the city: Human City!’

Architect Folkert van Hagen designed the exhibition space in collaboration with Tom Postma, a leading designer of exhibitions who has worked for major cultural institutions such as the Rijksmuseum, ARTBasel and TEFAF. Together they came up with an inviting space with good lines of sight and interconnected ‘rooms’ where employees and visitors felt at home straightaway. Alberdingk Thijm: ‘Already in the first week an employee asked whether he could book one of the rooms to dine there with his visitors. And you know, he could. There are couches for people to sit on, and visitors and employees can go there to enjoy a cup of coffee and a one-to-one chat.’

The aim of the AkzoNobel Art Foundation collection is to stimulate, innovate, communicate and, above all, inspire. One of the latest acquisitions is ‘The Total Amount’ by Pieter Laurens Mol, an installation made up, among other things, of 72 boxes of old pigments. It’s a good example of a work that relates directly to the history and core business of AkzoNobel, as the company has duly noticed.

The Art Foundation has a professional storage facility on the third floor of the AkzoNobel Center. This makes it possible to quickly change parts of an exhibition and set up new ones. A dynamic policy is in place regarding the works on the office floors and in the Arnhem office.

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‘Life is increasingly about inspiration and that is something art can provide’

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In addition, the AkzoNobel Art Foundation advises on local projects on sites elsewhere in the world, for instance in China.

Alberdingk Thijm: ‘Art is becoming ever more important. We are moving towards a society in which everything is dematerializing and we will have fewer and fewer possessions. Life is increasingly about inspiration, also in our working environment, and that is something art can provide.’

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Credits Editorial Board Cor Broekhuizen, Tineke Dikken, Catja Edens, Peter de Haan, Folkert van Hagen, Aaldert ten Veen Texts Catja Edens Translation Anneke Leenhouts Photography Frank Hanswijk Graphic Design Stout/Kramer Text correction Marianne Lahr, Billy Nolan Lithography Erwin Beijer Printing Drukkerij Roelofs

GROUP A, Dura Vermeer, AkzoNobel and Stibbe are the initiating partners of the twin publication Building Beethoven AkzoNobel Stibbe.

Other participants are: HOMIJ Technische Installaties, Royal Haskoning DHV, Technoprojects, Gemeente Amsterdam

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Publisher Š GROUP A, Rotterdam 2016