The construction work on Bever Innovations new head office on Techniekweg in Zierikzee, the Netherlands, is reaching completion. A large (2,551 m²) new building is being constructed just 300 metres from the current head office, and will accommodate the Fuel, Industrial and Horticulture divisions. The new head office is all-electric and largely self-sufficient. Electric air heaters, heat pumps and intelligent LED lighting guarantee optimum comfort at work, whilst open, transparent office spaces will ensure that staff are able to communicate more quickly and effectively as well as fostering creativity.
The first brick for the new building was laid in September 2018. Six months later and the new head office is nearly ready. ‘We’re still putting in the floor coverings, calibrating the air conditioning systems and completing the paving at present. The construction work is completed on 1 April, and now we’ll be starting on the interior work as well as kitting out the kitchen, pantry and workplaces’, says Jacco de Ronde, one of Bever Innovations’ four directors and the party responsible for the completion of the new head office. ‘We’ll start using the new building on 1 June.’
Optimum contact, efficient flow
The new head office is split up into two sections. The entrance hall will be the bustling hub. Here, in addition to a waiting area and reception, there will be a small showroom and a canteen for staff. The offices are situated to the right of the entrance. The section on the left is reserved for shipping, workshops and the warehouse. ‘The eye-catching feature in the entrance hall is a large staircase leading up to the first floor’, says De Ronde. ‘The space here will primarily be devoted to open-plan offices, as well as consulting rooms and meeting rooms where staff can get some peace and quiet.’
The open workplaces will ensure that staff and departments communicate more quickly and more often, as well as enabling a more efficient flow of orders and business processes. ‘We’ve deliberately opted to minimize the use of discrete office rooms and corridor functions’, says De Ronde. ‘General functions such as coffee machines, printers, toilets, etc. are centrally located, reducing walking about and ensuring greater calm in the departments. Strategically placed cabinet walls provide the requisite degree of security and privacy whilst also enabling flexible layouts in the future, without the need for renovation work.’
Modern image
A traditional structure was chosen for the new-build premises. The shell of the building is made of concrete and sand-lime brick and is supported by a steel structure. Around that, light aluminium façade panels have been put in, which lend the building a modern, industrial image. An extension made of dark-coloured masonry is a playful finishing touch. Hollow-core slabs were selected for the floor. ‘The structure will keep noise nuisance to a minimum’, says De Ronde. ‘We’re currently still in a steel building, which whistles and creaks when the wind is up. We wanted to avoid this at all costs in the new building. What’s more, the materials chosen will make it possible to create a healthy, pleasant indoor climate.’
‘Roof-mounted solar panels will generate sustainable energy’, he adds. ‘All rooms in the building are electrically heated, cooled and ventilated. An all-electric heat pump will ensure sustainable cooling and heating, in any season.’ Bever Innovations’ intelligent LED lighting has been put in throughout the new building, in a variety of optics. Thanks to the wireless Bever EOS network technology, these luminaries can easily be managed and controlled and energy consumption is minimized.