Powerhouse Company International BV

Danone Headquarters

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

DANONE HEADQUARTERS

Powerhouse Company

LOCATION
Hoofddorp, The Netherlands

CATEGORY
Institutional Buildings

PROJECT YEAR
2019

MANUFACTURERS
Prince Cladding

MEP ENGINEER
Deerns

INTERIOR DESIGN
Dzap

CONSTRUCTION
Imd Raadgevend Ingenieurs

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Lap Landscape & Urban Design

BUILDING PHYSICS
Dgmr

CONTRACTOR
Pleijsier Bouw

FINANCER
Nibc

DEVELOPER
RED Company

PROJECT MANAGEMENT DANONE
Dzap

INVESTOR
90 North

CHITECT
Dirk Jan Schaap

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
DVP

CONSTRUCTION COST CONSULTANCY
DVP

LEGAL ADVISOR RED COMPANY
DLA Piper, Loyens & Loeff

ADVISOR RED COMPANY
CBRE

ADVISORS 90 NORTH
Van Gool Elburg, AC Niellsen, Simmons & Simmons

ADVISOR DANONE
Cushman & Wakefield

PARTNERS IN CHARGE
Nanne de Ru, Paul Stavert

CLIENT
Danone

PROJECT MANAGEMENT (DANONE)
Dzap

PROJECT TEAM
Paul Sanders, Koen van den Dungen, Sandra Pyłczewska, Mitchel Veloo, Michiel Bosch, Viktor Kekesi, Erwin van Strien, Gert Ververs, Maarten Diederix, Bjørn Andreassen

CLEAN LINES AND ROUND CORNERS

The state-of-the-art office building is located on the Taurusavenue, near the historical monument of the Amsterdam Defense Line, listed as Unesco World Heritage since 1996.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

The exterior aspect of the building, with its clean lines and transparent character, was designed to match this special context. A grid of light-colored Terrazzo cladding frames the large openings.

The transition from the building to the natural surrounding is mediated by the rounded corners of the building volume, that soften the geometric grid of the facade.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

To realize these perfectly rounded corners in the building, Powerhouse Company collaborated with Saint Gobain to develop the spectacular-size round glass that contributes to the unique character of the project.

THE ATRIUM

Social Heart of the Building. The interior of the building is shaped around a spacious atrium adjacent to the garden. A glass roof, together with the transparent facade, floods the space with natural light all the way through the ground floor.

The atrium features the building’s ‘green lung,’ a spectacular 20-meter-high wall covered with plants, visible from all the balconies of the four 1600 m2 office floors that embrace the spacious void.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

On the southwest side of the atrium, visitors are led to the first floor through a large staircase, a volumetric element that defines the space and the grand start of the walking route throughout the whole building.

Combining the informal quality of a space gathering with the public prominence of a space for exhibition, the design of the staircase responds to its main function.

The large steps host flexible staff meetings and breaks, as well as presentations and lectures.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

TAILORED FOR THE FUTURE

The ground floor accommodates the public functions of the building, such as the reception and the restaurant.

The column-free office floors that face the atrium are filled with daylight and are designed as flexible workspaces.

Through the glass facades, they also offer spectacular views on Schiphol Airport, the building garden, and the surrounding polder landscape.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

Inviting and informal working places stimulate different ways of working together throughout the whole building.

The head office is located on the first floor. Featuring a variety of spaces for small and large gatherings, it can also be used as a meeting center.

The space, together with the restaurant and the garden, meets Danone’s need to have all meetings and seminars in-house.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

THE GREEN LUNG

The atrium plays a central role in creating a healthy working environment, an essential requirement for Danone.

The prominent positioning of the staircase, designed as an element of socialization, makes it more attractive to employees, encouraging them to ditch the elevators, which are hidden from the view.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

The air-purifying plants growing on the impressive vertical garden makes the atrium truly the “green lung” of the building.

In addition to that, the atrium is crucial to ensuring optimal air circulation, daylight, and social interactions to its users.

Danone Headquarters
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

A SMART OFFICE BUILDING

Specifically designed to support Danone’s vision “One Planet. One Health”, the building achieved the highest ambitions in terms of sustainability and health, as demonstrated by the LEED Gold and WELL Gold certification.

Sustainability measures, such as the use of recycling steel and recycled concrete, are paired with smart strategies essential to the physical and mental well-being of the employees.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

Materials are carefully selected on the basis of strict health criteria, the availability of sports facilities and green areas stimulates employees to exercise and spend time outside more often, and the canteen only serves healthy food.

From a technological standpoint, Danone’s office building is equipped with a smart grid (bGrid) that regulates, among other things, temperature, CO2 levels, and light.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

Innovative apps are available not only to control climate and light, but also to support smart working.

Apps such as “Find my colleague”, “Roombooking”, and “Workplace finding” reduce friction in the work environment and ensure an optimal and sustainable use of space and resources. These measures make Danone one of the most sustainable and healthy office building in the Netherlands.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme
Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme

A SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY CAMPUS

Danone’s head office and the new ASICS headquarters, also designed by Powerhouse Company, form together a sustainable and healthy campus with shared facilities.

Located above a half underground parking garage, the campus has a spacious and lush garden for exercise and outdoor activities.

The garden, with its winding walking routes and spacious lawn, was designed by landscape architect LAP Landscape and Urban Design. The development of the campus added the health theme to the profile of Beukenhorst South, already known as one of the most sustainable office parks in Europe.

Danone Headquarters
© Sebastian van Damme


Danone Headquarters
Section


Danone Headquarters
Site Plan

Powerhouse Company International BV
T +31 10 4046789
Powerhouse Company International BV
Antoine Platekade 1000, 3072 ME Rotterdam, Netherlands